The Major's Fall
by Neuropsych
Summary: (COMPLETE) Sam gets hurt... and finds out how protective Jack and Jaffer can really be
1. 01

Author's Note: This should just be a Sam/Jack/Jaffer story, unless I change my mind in mid-telling (which wouldn't be the first time) Rated for any language I inadvertently put in, and maybe a little sexual tension, but really, it's probably only PG. I just like to over-rate them, just in case something happens. That way there's no surprises.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sam, or Jack, or any of them... BUT I do own Jaffer, Jack (the dog) and Shawn (who may or may not make an appearance)  
  
...................  
  
The gate flared and the iris closed as the security teams gathered around and the alarms blared. No one was due back for at least another few hours, and everyone knew it. Hammond turned to Sergeant Walters, who was manning the main computer as he normally did, and the younger man turned to him.  
  
"It's SG-1, Sir."  
  
"Open the iris."  
  
SG-1 wasn't due back, yet, so something was wrong, or they'd come across something interesting enough that they thought they needed to bring it back immediately. Either way, Hammond was always one to be prepared for the worst.  
  
"Medical team to the embarkation room."  
  
The order was passed as Hammond made his way down the stairs and through the doorway, just in time to see figures emerging from the gate.  
  
Daniel Jackson came first. The archeologist wasn't holding his gun at any sort of defensive angle, which told Hammond that they probably weren't being chased back through the Stargate, and allowed him a chance to relax just a little. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to require them to slam the iris shut. Probably. Then he saw the next figures to come through, and he felt a stab of concern.  
  
Teal wasn't carrying his staff weapon when he came through the gate. He was carefully cradling Major Carter in his powerful arms, and she was looking very much the worse for wear. She was awake, but there was a definite look of intenseness in her features that told the General immediately that she was hurting. Her face was bloody and scratched, and she was dirty and mussed. God only knew what else was wrong with her, or she'd never had allowed Teal'c to just pick her up and carry her.  
  
O'Neill came through the gate just as Hammond walked up to ask what had happened. The Colonel was carrying his own weapons, Carter's weapons, and Teal'c's staff weapon. He looked very imposing, since Hammond knew he could use any of them with equal facility, and it showed in his bearing. Of course, there was also the look of concern on his face when he glanced at Carter, who was still held by Teal'c as they waited for the medics that were undoubtedly already on their way.  
  
"What happened, Colonel?"  
  
"Carter fell."  
  
Hammond looked over at Sam, who sighed, and closed her eyes, leaning her head against Teal'c just enough that Hammond knew she was really hurting.  
  
"That must have been some fall."  
  
"She fell off a cliff, Sir."  
  
"Actually, she fell into a ravine of some sort," Daniel interjected. "It was probably man-made, even though we didn't have much of a chance-"  
  
"Daniel."  
  
Jack hushed him, and Jackson gave them a chagrined look, realizing that it probably didn't really matter what kind of ravine it was and that he was rambling, maybe, a little.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Fraiser and her medical team arrived before anyone could say anything else, and Teal'c handed the Major over to a couple of corpsmen.  
  
"Watch her leg," Jack said. "It's probably broken."  
  
They nodded, and eased Carter onto a gurney, where Fraiser began checking her vitals even as they rolled her out of the room.  
  
"Will she be all right?" Hammond asked Jack, who looked concerned, but didn't rush after the medical team, as he would have if he thought she was in real trouble.  
  
"She was talking to us when we got to her, Sir," Jack said. "It looks like she hit every rock on the way down, and the landing at the bottom sounded bad even from the top, but I don't think she did any permanent damage."  
  
Of course, he wasn't a doctor. But he did know injuries, mainly from past experiences of his own. And he knew Sam well enough to know if she was really hurting, or just sort of hurting. She would almost definitely be okay.  
  
"What did you find out about the planet?"  
  
Jack looked over at Daniel, who stepped forward as O'Neill handed Teal'c back his staff weapon.  
  
"It looks to be deserted, but there are ruins all over, and we found several signs that would appear to indicate a pre-Mesopotamian culture. This planet very well could have been one of the earliest depositories for human slaves by the Goa'uld."  
  
"So, is it worth going back to?"  
  
Daniel nodded. "I'd like another shot at it, General."  
  
"Colonel?"  
  
"It's deserted, Sir. There's rocks, and sand, and some brush, and one big- ass ravine that sucks unwary Majors down into it. It's not going anywhere, and we really can't either, until we find out how Carter's doing."  
  
"We could send another team, General." Daniel said. "If Sam's leg is broken she won't be able to do much of anything for weeks..." It was obvious that Daniel wanted to go back immediately.  
  
Hammond looked at Jack, who shrugged. He wasn't going anywhere until he knew how Sam was, but if Daniel wanted to go, Jack wouldn't say no. He hadn't seen anything on the planet that was a threat to the archeologist – and Jack never would have agreed if he had any doubts of that, since he was just as protective of Daniel as he was of the other members of his team. Hammond knew that as well.  
  
"Very well. We'll send SG-11. But not until tomorrow." That would give Daniel a chance to make sure Sam was going to be okay, and give them a chance to read the data coming back from the MALF to see if there was anything on the planet they didn't know about yet.  
  
"Thank you, General."  
  
Hammond nodded, and knowing that Jack wanted to go check on Carter, he waved them all away.  
  
"Go check on Major Carter, Colonel. Until SG-11 brings your archeologist back, SG-1 is on stand down."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
Jack pivoted, and headed for the door, with Daniel and Teal'c right beside him. 


	2. 02

"How is she, Doc?" Jack asked when Fraiser met them at the door of the infirmary to keep them from coming in.  
  
"We're still examining her, Colonel."  
  
"So, how is she so far?"  
  
"So far... broken leg, a lot of bruising and cuts, I think a broken rib – maybe just cracked – and a lot of pain. She really took a whack to the head, too, but I don't think she has a concussion. I'll know for sure in a bit."  
  
"Will she be okay?" Daniel asked.  
  
Fraiser nodded.  
  
"She should be. Just really sore for a few days, and probably in a cast for at least six weeks. No promises, yet, though. I've got more to check."  
  
Jack nodded, feeling relieved. Just because he'd thought Sam would be okay, it sure made it a lot more certain when Fraiser told him. And he knew she wouldn't have said she'd be okay if she weren't certain that she would.  
  
"That's good."  
  
Fraiser looked at the rest of SG-1 intently, obviously looking them over for injuries of their own.  
  
"Are you guys all okay?"  
  
"We went down the cliff of our own choosing," Jack told her, smiling slightly. "Sam's the only one that took a nose-dive."  
  
"Then get out of my infirmary until I'm done with Major Carter."  
  
"Can we see her?"  
  
"Not yet, Colonel. You can see her when I'm done checking her out."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No. She's not in any danger. She's just bloody and bruised. You can see her when I'm done."  
  
"Doc-"  
  
"Colonel." Janet's hands went to her hips. "I said no."

"Come on, Jack," Daniel said, pulling on O'Neill's shirt. "We'll go get cleaned up and come back. By then-"  
  
"Only if you take a long time to clean up," Fraiser interrupted. "At least a couple hours."  
  
"A couple of hours!" Jack scowled.  
  
"Maybe more if you keep me standing here arguing."  
  
"Doc-"  
  
"Colonel. Get out of my infirmary before I decide you need new vaccinations. With great big needles."  
  
"Let's go, Jack." This time Daniel pulled a little harder, and Jack really scowled as he allowed Daniel and Teal'c to pull him out of the infirmary.  
  
"Some day I'm going to get me a big needle and carry it around so I can threaten people with it..."  
  
"Just don't get me involved," Daniel told him as they headed for the locker room, and a much-needed shower.  
  
.......................  
  
An hour and a half later, Jack was back at the door of the infirmary. This time he had more company with him. Daniel was with him, as was Teal'c, of course, but there were also two rather large dogs with them. One was Teal'c's yellow lab – Jack – and the other was Jack's black lab – Jaffer. Both dogs were standing at perfect heel beside their respective owners (and with Daniel in between them) when Fraiser came over. This time it was the doctor who scowled.  
  
"What are they doing here?"  
  
"They want to see how Major Carter is doing." Jack told her.  
  
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

He ignored that.  
  
"Can we see her?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Doc..."  
  
Fraiser scowled, and looked down at the dogs. They were a little over a year old, now, and both had grown large, although Jaffer was showing every sign of having even more growing to do, and they both still had a lot of filling out to do. Even so, they were big. And Jaffer wasn't the best-behaved creature on the base, although he usually did what Jack told him to. That was a recipe for disaster in her infirmary, and Janet knew it.  
  
"You stay here," She told them. Jack took that as a yes, and walked past Fraiser, with Jaffer muscling past Janet to stay right beside him. Teal'c and Daniel following with Jack right next to Teal'c. Fraiser scowled again, and started to say something, but just threw up her hands as an outlet for her irritation, and followed them.  
  
Carter was awake, and looked up at them when they all crowded around her bed, concern evident on all their faces. With good reason, too. She was bruised and bandaged, and her eyes had a slightly glazed look in them that told Jack she wasn't going to be allowed out of the infirmary that day.  
  
Jaffer couldn't see. He didn't like not being able to see. He could smell Sam – who was his second favorite person in the world! – but he couldn't see her, so he eyed the bed, and made an easy jump up onto it. For a dog his size, the black lab was far more agile than he looked.  
  
"_Jaffer_!" Fraiser was practically sputtering. "Colonel! Get him down!"  
  
Sam reached out and slid her fingers along the black lab's sleek side, smiling, and Jack smiled in return. She looked awful, but she was awake, and she obviously wasn't so out of it that she didn't recognize those around him.  
  
"Jaffer," Jack said, softly.  
  
His dog looked from Sam over to him, and Jack motioned for him to get off the bed. At the same moment that Teal'c's yellow lab decided that he wanted to see, too, and jumped up beside his brother.  
  
"_Teal'c_!"  
  
"Jack, down." Teal'c's voice was just as soft as Jack's had been.  
  
Both dogs jumped off the bed, and Sam looked up at Jack, who was studiously ignoring the glares Janet was sending his way.  
  
"Hi."  
  
Sam reached her hand out, and Jack took it, wincing when he saw the bruise on her forearm. The others gathered close as well, and Sam smiled drowsily up at them.  
  
"Hi. How do you feel?"  
  
"Oh... a little sleepy..."  
  
"She's on pain medication, Colonel." Janet told him and the others. "She'll be drowsy all day."  
  
"Can I take her home?"  
  
"No. Not tonight. I want to keep an eye on her."  
  
"Can I stay?"  
  
"No. She needs sleep."  
  
"I won't be in the-"  
  
"Colonel? Is there a reason you have to argue with everything I tell you?"  
  
"No, it's just instinct, I suppose."  
  
Janet didn't find that particularly amusing, but Daniel and Sam both smiled.  
  
"Take your dog, and go home. Better yet, go do some grocery shopping."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Major Carter can go home tomorrow, but she'll need someone to keep an eye on her for a few days, at least, until she gets used to the cast, and we can get her off the pain pills. I assume you'll want to be the one who does it?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Then you're going to need groceries."  
  
"I have-"  
  
"Cereal, spoiled milk and beer are _not_ groceries."  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"I have-"  
  
"Jack..." He looked at Sam, who'd interrupted him, and she squeezed his hand. "Just do what she says." Carter was too tired and miserable to listen to Jack and Janet argue. She wanted to sleep. Jack realized that, too, and sighed, but nodded.  
  
"I'll be back first thing in the morning for you, okay?"  
  
She nodded, and closed her eyes.  
  
Janet ran her hand gently along Carter's cheek, then shooed them all away from the bed, before ordering them out of her infirmary once more. They went, but Jack kept looking back, trying to get one last glance of Sam before he went out the door. And ran face first into the doorframe. Muffling a curse, and scowling at the others, who were all grinning, he gathered the shattered remains of his dignity, and told them he was going home for the day. He had shopping to do.


	3. 03

"'Cereal, spoiled milk and beer are _not_ groceries'."  
  
Jaffer looked over at Jack from the passenger side of the truck, and O'Neill grinned at the look his dog gave him.  
  
"What? I didn't say it, I'm just repeating it."  
  
Jaffer snorted, and stuck his head out the window once more, his nostrils flaring as he caught whatever interesting scents were going on around him while O'Neill drove off the base and to the grocery store. While Jaffer smelled things, Jack was going over his grocery list in his head, deciding what he wanted to attempt to cook, what she'd even want, and debating what would be easiest. Easy was always better than hard, as far as he was concerned. He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the truck.  
  
"You stay put," He told Jaffer. The grocery store was one of the few places he couldn't bring his dog, and they both knew it. Although he was tempted, since he hated leaving Jaffer in the truck. He did take him out of the front of the cab and let him jump up into the bed so he could watch the coming and goings of people around him. "I'll be right back."  
  
He bought tons of food. More food than he'd ever have bought just for himself and Jaffer. Jack was an 'order out and relax' kind of guy most of the time. (Except for summer barbeques, of course) This meant pizza and other take out foods, not casseroles and home cooked meals, but even if he didn't actually _follow_ that pyramid guide thing, he was aware of good nutrition, and knew that he'd better have real food on hand for Sam to eat. Pizza was good, but not so great when you were sick.

He bought meat, bread, vegetables, all sorts of homey foods that were guaranteed to fill his fridge and cupboards with things that even Fraiser would call 'groceries'. Then he loaded it up into the back of his truck, pulled Jaffer's attention away from the little girl he was flirting with in the car next to his, and headed for home – stopping on the way for burgers and fries.  
  
..................  
  
That night he called the base pretty much once an hour, checking with the medical staff on duty to make sure Sam was okay. He was told – every time he called – that yes, she was resting easily, and no, she wasn't suffering any side effects of the medication, and yes, she'd probably be fine to take home in the morning – provided Janet Fraiser said it was okay. Yes, they'd call if something came up, but no, they didn't expect that anything would. Sam was fine, and sleeping peacefully. Really.  
  
With the phone in one hand, and Jaffer tucked firmly and warmly against his other side with his head resting on Jack's thigh, O'Neill lay in bed and watched bad movies all night, wishing Sam were with him, and wanting to hear her voice.  
  
Not that he _couldn't_ sleep alone – well, if you counted a 75-pound lab sprawled next to you sleeping alone. Sam wasn't over at his house every night, after all, but he was worried about her, and when he worried, he didn't sleep. There was no point in it, after all. He'd just fret about her while he was sleeping, and he wouldn't get any rest, anyways. He wasn't apprehensive enough that he had to go rushing down to the base to be at her side – he was pretty sure that would bring down Janet's wrath, and Carter wasn't hurt badly enough to risk that – just enough that he lost a little sleep. And he lost sleep a lot, so one night was hardly going to kill him.  
  
...............  
  
Janet was there when O'Neill walked into the infirmary early the next morning, and she greeted him with a scowl. Which Jack caught immediately, of course.  
  
"Relax, Doc. We're just here to collect Sam and go home."  
  
She, of course, was scowling down at the dog next to him, who had strutted into her infirmary as if he owned the place.  
  
"Did you sleep last night?" Fraiser missed very little when it came to the people she was responsible for keeping healthy.  
  
"Of course I did."  
  
"Why don't I believe you?"  
  
"Because I'm lying."  
  
"Colonel..."  
  
"Doc..."  
  
"Keep him off my beds."  
  
"Can I take Sam home?"  
  
"Have you had breakfast?"  
  
"I had coffee."  
  
"Go get some breakfast. Major Carter hasn't eaten yet, and isn't ready to be discharged." It was still early, after all. Sam wasn't even awake.  
  
"How long?" Meaning 'how long do I have to wait?'  
  
"Until she's ready. Go eat, Colonel, and take him with you." She pointed at Jaffer, who'd walked over to the curtained off area that Sam's bed was behind, and had stuck his nose around it, looking up at the bed as if debating whether to jump up and check on his patient or not.  
  
"Can I see her?"  
  
"When she's awake and ready to go."  
  
He scowled.  
  
"Go. Now."  
  
"Come on, Jaffer." The black lab was at his side, instantly, and Fraiser wished silently that she could control the big dog as easily as Jack did. Wouldn't _that_ just make her life so much easier?  
  
"Don't come back until I page you."  
  
"How long will that be?"  
  
"Just go eat, Colonel," Fraiser said, a little irritated, but a little amused, as well. She wondered if he had any idea how enjoyable it was to watch him nag about Sam Carter. He was always so self-possessed when it came to military things; missions were a breeze, and ambushes and traps were no problem, but when it came to someone he cared about – in this case Sam – he was so... different. Almost as much of a mother hen as Fraiser herself was. And far more uncertain than he liked them to know. Which is why he was always so difficult with her.  
  
"You'll page me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can't we just wait here?"  
  
"No."  
  
Jack sighed, and left, with Jaffer beside him. She was always so difficult!  
  
Fraiser waited to make sure he wasn't going to come back and argue some more, then went to wake up Carter and get her ready to start the day.


	4. 04

He didn't go get something to eat. She wasn't his boss, after all, and couldn't actually _tell_ him what to do – unless it was in the infirmary, of course. There she was definitely the one in charge, no matter how much he nagged, and they both knew it. Not that that kept him from trying to get his own way there, of course. Instead, he and Jaffer made a beeline to Daniel's office, where Jack was certain he'd find the archeologist getting his things together for his trip back through the gate. And he was right.  
  
"Jack..." Daniel looked up from the book he was putting into a knapsack when he heard the tap on the door that announced O'Neill's arrival, then down at Jaffer, who wagged a happy good morning to him, his intelligent brown eyes cheerful and mischievous. "Don't let him eat anything."  
  
Jack smiled. Jaffer hadn't eaten any of Daniel's rocks in weeks, and he was pretty sure the lab was over that little phase.  
  
"I'll keep an eye on him." He moved into the room, looking around, but really just waiting for Daniel to give him the opening he wanted.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
Ah, there it was.  
  
"We didn't find anything on J-98D3 yesterday but that ravine, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else there." Jack said, looking in Daniel's bag to see if he'd packed a side arm. He hadn't.  
  
"But you don't think there is..."  
  
"Right." Jack said, going over to the shelf and pulling down Daniel's Beretta and handing it to him. "That doesn't mean I'm right."  
  
"You're probably right." Daniel told him, ignoring the gun. "I'll have SG- 11 with me, Jack. A whole team of gun-toting protectors to watch my back while I look at the ruins we saw."  
  
Jack put the gun in Daniel's bag, after making sure there wasn't a round in the chamber and that the safety was on.  
  
"Just take it, and carry it. Okay?"  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"Daniel... just do it, okay?"  
  
Daniel nodded, and sighed, wondering why he even bothered arguing with Jack about these things. Undoubtedly, Jack's next stop was going to be Major Stedman, who was the CO of SG-11, to warn him that he was going to hold him personally responsible for Daniel's safety. It was hardly the first time he'd done it, after all, when Daniel had went off-world with another team besides SG-1.  
  
"Thank you." Jack smiled slightly, able to relax now that he'd taken care of that.  
  
"Did you give Teal'c his little talking to about being safe, yet?" Daniel asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Teal'c's going to take advantage of Sam's injury to go see Master Bra'tac. I was just wondering if you'd given him the lecture on taking care of himself."  
  
"I didn't know he was going." Jack hesitated, and then shrugged. Teal'c didn't need to be told to carry a weapon with him, and he definitely didn't need Jack's advice on how to use one. "He'll be okay."  
  
Meaning Daniel had needed the talk, and Teal'c didn't. Daniel scowled, but Jack ignored it.  
  
"Have a safe trip."  
  
"I will, Jack. Tell Sam to get better."  
  
Jack nodded and left, with Jaffer padding silently beside him. Now to go find Stedman.  
  
Daniel watched him go, and then looked down at the weapon in his bag, debating whether or not to take it out and leave it. He didn't, though. He'd told Jack he'd take it, and if O'Neill found out he'd changed his mind, the _pre leaving the planet without SG-1 pep talk_ would take on a whole new meaning the next time he did it. Easier to do it Jack's way.  
  
..........................  
  
O'Neill was still talking to Major Stedman over a cup of coffee in the Commissary when he was paged to the infirmary. The Major assured him again that he and his team would take great care of Daniel while he was with them, and Jack assured him again that he had all the faith in the world in him. And reminded him once more to keep an eye on him and not let him get too eager and get himself lost or hurt. Both of which Daniel had done before.  
  
"Gotta go," Jack said, tossing Jaffer the last of the huge dish of chicken nuggets they'd started with, and standing up. "Don't forget-"  
  
"I won't, Sir."  
  
Stedman watched him and Jaffer go with a sigh of relief. Daniel Jackson was a good guy and all, but the Major couldn't understand why O'Neill was so overly protective of him. Of course, the warning had been given, though, and Major Stedman had every intention of keeping a personal eye on the archeologist the entire time he was with them, just to make sure he returned him safely.  
  
Jack walked into the infirmary only moments later.  
  
"Colonel, over here."  
  
Fraiser didn't need to wave him over; Jaffer had already seen Sam, and had turned at the doorway, with Jack following closely. The two women were seated in Fraiser's office; Carter in a wheel chair, Janet at her desk. Jaffer rushed over to Sam, wagging a happy greeting and whuffling her hand, then her side – which made her wince when his nose hit her bruised ribs a little harder than was pleasant – and then he reached his nose up to whuffle her face, before turning his attention to her cast, sniffing it while he tried to figure out what this white stuff was, and how dare it be on _his_ Sam's leg. Sam grinned, and ran her hands along the black lab's side, petting him and making a big deal of him before turning her attention to O'Neill.  
  
Jack wanted to greet her just as enthusiastically, but he couldn't. Not there with all the medical personnel who might just peek in. He settled for a smile, but it was the smile he reserved only for her, and Sam knew it.  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"Hi. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I have a ton of plaster on my leg." Sam complained, looking over at Janet with a scowl. Fraiser didn't look at all repentant.  
  
"It could have been a lot worse, Sam. Luckily the fracture was in your shin, and not your thigh, or the cast would have went all the way up your leg, and you would be stuck in that wheel chair without any ability to bend that knee."  
  
"I know." That didn't make it any better.  
  
"Colonel."  
  
Jack turned his attention from Sam to Fraiser, who held up a bag of medication and handed it to him. "Painkillers for her aches – and watch her ribs, because even tough I was wrong about them being broken, they're badly bruised, and they'll be tender."  
  
"I will." Jack promised. "She doesn't have to stay in the wheelchair?"  
  
Fraiser shook her head.  
  
"That's just to get her up to your truck. She has crutches, but I don't want her on them for a couple of days, so you'll have to be her feet for her."  
  
"No problem." It wouldn't be, either. He had nothing but time.  
  
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Sam complained.  
  
They neither one looked apologetic, but Jaffer woofed softly as though he agreed. Sam rubbed his ears in appreciation.  
  
"Can we go?" Jack asked Fraiser.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"If Sam has any serious pain, especially headaches, call me, or come back."  
  
"Do you think she will?"  
  
"No." If Janet thought there was a danger of something like that, she'd never turn Carter over to Jack. The Major would be staying in her infirmary for another few days.  
  
"Hello...? Still talking about me like I'm not here!" Sam was scowling, now.  
  
"We're out of here," Jack said, tucking the bag of medicine in his pocket, and taking the wheelchair handles. "Out of the way, Jaffer."  
  
The black lab obediently moved to the side, and wagged his tail again, and Fraiser was again impressed by how well he listened when he wanted to.  
  
"Call if you need me."  
  
"We will."  
  
They headed out the door, Jack pushing the wheelchair, Jaffer walking beside it, close enough that Sam was able to rest her bandaged hand on the black back while they went.  
  
"They'd better..." Janet muttered, knowing hell would freeze over before Jack let her have Sam back - unless something was really wrong. 


	5. 05

"We're going to your house?" Sam asked as Jack pushed her down the corridor towards the elevator.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Maybe we should stop and get groceries?"  
  
"I did that yesterday."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"_Real_ groceries?" She asked. "Beer and cereal-"  
  
"Yes. Real groceries." He scowled down at her, but since she was looking over at Jaffer, she didn't see it. "No cereal. No beer. And fresh milk."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
He had one of the Marines at the final checkpoint come out to his truck with them. He didn't want to have to take the wheelchair back. Besides, this way he didn't risk dropping Sam when he put her in the truck.  
  
Jack opened the passenger side door, and Jaffer hopped in first, going over to Jack's seat and watching as O'Neill and the Marine carefully pulled Carter out of the wheelchair and eased her up into her seat. Once he had her buckled in, he thanked the Marine and sent him off with the wheelchair.  
  
"You're not driving," Jack told Jaffer as he came around and opened his door. The black lab was still behind the wheel, and looked down at Jack happily. Obviously, though, he decided that he wasn't going to be handed the keys, because a moment later he moved and took over the jump seat behind Sam.  
  
"They still haven't taught him that one?" Sam asked, grinning, sleepily. She was still a little dazed by the painkillers, but not as out of it as she'd been the day before.  
  
"Nah." O'Neill had nothing to complain about, though. The guys that were training Jack and Jaffer for he and Teal'c were doing an excellent job. Jack leaned over to kiss her softly, but Jaffer stuck his head in the way, and Jack got a face full of fur. He spit out a few hairs, and glared at Jaffer, but the dog and Sam both knew that he wasn't angry. Nothing Jaffer did ever made Jack angry, much to Sam's amazement.  
  
"Fine. You kiss her for me, and I'll drive."  
  
Jaffer licked Sam's face as if he understood completely what Jack had said, and Sam wiped slobber off her chin. She was used to that by now, though, and didn't mind a bit.  
  
"How do you feel?" Jack asked, as he started the truck.  
  
"Sore and a little sleepy."  
  
"Ribs hurt?"  
  
She nodded, leaning back and closing her eyes as they pulled out of the base and headed for his house.  
  
Jack used his left hand for steering, and reached over with his right hand and took her hand in his. He placed it on his thigh, since he could drive all that well with his arm stretched across the seat, but Sam's smile told him she didn't mind the new position at all. She ran her fingers idly along his leg as they drove; glad to be out of the infirmary, and off base.  
  
........................  
  
He pulled the truck into the driveway a short while later, and told her to stay put for a second. Getting out, he gestured for Jaffer to jump down as well, and he went and unlocked and opened his door before coming back to get her.  
  
"I _can_ walk." She told him, when he opened the passenger door and gathered her up into his arms.  
  
"Fraiser said you're not supposed to."  
  
"What does she know?"  
  
"She's a doctor."  
  
"Yeah? I'll remember you said that the next time you're stuck in her infirmary."  
  
"That's different." Jack said, picking her up and heading for the door, carrying her easily. She wasn't fat, after all.  
  
"How is it any different?"  
  
"It's you."  
  
Well, that made no sense at all. Sam snorted, but rested her cheek against Jack's. She was already in his arms, after all, and she didn't want to struggle now and make him drop her. But she wasn't going to let him carry her all over! Just this once.  
  
"Bed?" Jack asked.  
  
"Or...?"  
  
"Couch."  
  
She could sprawl in bed. But she wouldn't be able to see what was going around her if she was stuck in the bedroom. Of course, at the moment she was sleepy, and would prefer to just sleep. Jack held her patiently as he waited for her to make up her mind.  
  
"Bed."  
  
He nodded, and carried her into his room, and settled her on the bed, pulling the covers back, then tucking a couple pillows behind her so she was sitting upright.  
  
"Comfortable?"  
  
She nodded, smiling up at him. Maybe she was a little sore from having her ribs jarred while he carried her, but that wasn't his fault, and she wasn't going to mention it.  
  
"Good." He sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked her over carefully. He knew what she normally looked like – he knew her face and expression by heart, after all – so he knew what she should look like, and she looked a little pale. But that could be the medication.  
  
"You okay? Any pain?"  
  
"No."  
  
Jaffer jumped up on the bed, and stepped over Sam carefully to flop down on the other side of her with a contented sigh. He didn't know why they weren't still at the base, but if they weren't going to be, then he was going to nap. He wasn't above being lazy when he could get away with it, after all.  
  
"I need to go close the door and get a few things out of the truck. Jaffer will keep you company, okay?"  
  
"Don't be gone long."  
  
"I won't." He kissed her softly, deepened it just a little, but pulled away before he could drive both of them crazy with a long, lingering kiss. "Try to sleep."  
  
"After that?" Sam grinned. "You've got to be kidding."  
  
O'Neill smiled, and stood up.  
  
"I'll be back soon."  
  
She nodded, and rested her hand on Jaffer's side, rubbing the lab's belly gently. He, of course, was more than willing to be her fingernail buffer, and he rolled slightly to give her better access to the rest of his belly. She fell asleep only moments later, her hand becoming still as the action soothed her to sleep. 


	6. 06

She was asleep when Jack returned, and Jaffer raised his head when O'Neill showed up at the doorway to his bedroom. O'Neill held up his hand, motioning wordlessly that he wanted Jaffer to stay put, and the big lab did. Although his tail thumped the bed as he watched Jack walk into the bedroom and lean over the bed. He pulled the blankets carefully up over her to make sure she didn't catch a chill, and then pressed a gentle kiss against Jaffer's nose, since he didn't want to wake Sam up doing it to her.  
  
"Come get me when she wakes up." He whispered.  
  
He left the room, then, and headed down the hallway and picked up the telephone. Directly dialing the infirmary – a number he knew by heart – Jack asked for Fraiser, who came on the line immediately.  
  
"Colonel? Is everything all right?"  
  
"She fell asleep as soon as I got her put into bed. Is that normal?"  
  
"Yes." The reply was certain and calm, which reassured him immediately. "She's on medication that will make her drowsy. Don't let her do too much, and if you can keep her in bed, that's even better."  
  
"Can she sit on the couch?"  
  
"Why didn't you ask me these questions when I had you in my office, Colonel?"  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"I was busy."  
  
"She can sit anywhere. Just keep her off her feet."  
  
"Thanks, Doc."  
  
"Call if you need me." Janet hung up.  
  
He hung up the phone and went to the fridge. He didn't have breakfast, after all, and he was getting a little hungry. He wasn't used to having so many choices, though, and found himself staring just as much as he would have if he had nothing. Finally he grabbed up a bottle of juice and went to the couch. He would have gone back to bed and cuddled with Sam, but she was hurting, and he didn't want to accidentally cuddle too hard or do something and aggravate her injuries. He'd wait until he had a better idea of just how injured she was. Until then, it was search the channels until he found a ballgame or something equally interesting.  
  
Not so easy to do with daytime television, apparently. It seemed all there was were a bunch of talk shows, or soaps. And Jack wasn't all that fond of either. He flipped to ESPN, just to have background noise, and sprawled on the couch, drinking his juice and waiting for Jaffer to let him know Sam was awake.  
  
..............  
  
Something was hovering over her. Not just hovering, it was looming. She felt something wet and warm scrubbing her cheek, then her chin, and then her cheek once more, and opened her eyes, sleepily who was washing her. And looked right up into Jaffer's brown eyes. The lab was standing on the bed, his big feet straddling either side of her, looking down and licking her face.  
  
"Blech." She reached a hand up and moved his head to the side before the devastating tongue could complete the next swipe. "Jaffer... stop..."  
  
Much to her surprise, he did. He carefully stepped over her, and then jumped off the bed, and Sam turned her head and watched him leave the room. She closed her eyes, sleepily, wondering if Jack had called him, or if he just didn't like the taste of her cheek and was going to go rinse his mouth out.  
  
Jaffer moved down the hallway and headed for the living room, his tail wagging idly as he used his nose to tell him where Jack was before he saw him. Coming over to the couch, he sat down between Jack and the TV, knowing from experience it was the best way to get his attention. O'Neill grinned.  
  
"She's awake, huh?"  
  
He didn't answer, of course, even though Jack swore some day he was going to, and O'Neill stood up and slapped Jaffer's side affectionately before he headed down the hall. Jaffer didn't follow. He needed out – which had been the reason behind waking Carter up in the first place. The lab went to the sliding glass door that led out to the deck – and the back yard – and pulled on the rope that was attached to it. It slid open, and he went out, leaving the door open behind him. The dog handlers on the base taught him a lot of tricks, but closing a sliding door wasn't one of them.  
  
..........  
  
Carter's eyes opened and she looked up when Jack appeared in the doorway. She didn't know how she knew he was there, she just did. She almost always could tell when he was close to her. Even when she was sleepy and miserable. She smiled, slightly, and he walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed, reaching out and touching her hand carefully.  
  
"Hi Sam..."  
  
"Hi..."  
  
Jack didn't have a pet name for Carter. He'd never come up with one. It had taken him so long to progress to being able to just call her 'Sam' that it seemed intimate enough just to call her that, and he'd never felt the need for anything more. He didn't think she needed more, either.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
"Wet..."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
She took his hand, and placed it against her cheek. It was wet. Not heated and wet, though, so it wasn't sweat, or fever induced.  
  
"What-?"  
  
"Jaffer..."  
  
"Ah." He smiled and used his shirtsleeve to wipe his dog's slobber from her cheek. The cheater woke her up! "How do you feel now?"  
  
"Sleepy."  
  
"Want me to leave you alone?"  
  
She shook her head and took his hand again so he couldn't leave.  
  
"Stay?"  
  
Like she really had to ask!  
  
"Sure." He stretched out next to her, carefully not touching any part of her except for the hand she had hold of. "Go back to sleep, Sam. I'll be here when you wake up."  
  
She nodded, and pulled his hand over to rest it on her stomach, then closed her eyes. Jack caressed her belly gently through the blankets. Not enough to do anything more than just remind her he was there with her. Certainly not enough to keep her awake. Just touching her and being with her.  
  
A moment later, Jaffer made his entrance into the bedroom as well. He looked at the people on the bed, judged where he'd have the most room for sprawling, and went around and hopped up on the other side of Sam. Sighing softly, he rested his head on her belly, right next to Jack's hand. It was a not so subtle bid for some petting of his own, and Jack complied, alternating between caressing Sam, and caressing Jaffer. Eventually his gentle attetnions put them both to sleep. 


	7. 07

The next time Sam woke, it was on her own. Not because Janet was waking her to get her ready to go home with a very anxious Colonel, and not because a big black lab had decided he was ready to get done being the guard dog and go outside and pee and had woken her. This time, she woke slowly, leisurely, and with ample time to take in her surroundings.  
  
She was in Jack's bed. She remembered that without needing to open her eyes and look around. Pain medication that would floor Jack mentally tended to make her mind a little sharper, at times, although it made her just as groggy. She just used her sleep differently than he did. She worked out problems while she slept, and solved complicated things that were so far beyond the majority of the people around her that it was just as easy for her mind to work on it alone while she was asleep as it was for her to use one of them as a sounding board.  
  
She was in Jack's bed, and she wasn't alone. Something was resting on her stomach. It was a comfortable something, though. Not heavy enough that it was uncomfortable, not so light that it tickled. She thought it must be Jack's hand. But when she opened her eyes and looked down, she saw it was Jaffer's head.  
  
The black lab was sprawled next to her comfortably. He had to be comfortable, she reasoned, because he was snoring soundly as he slept. She smiled, still a little sleep fuzzled, and turned her head to find Jack. And looked right into his warm brown eyes.  
  
"Jack..." She smiled. Since she hadn't seen his hand on her, she'd half expected him to be gone. It was a pleasant surprise to find he was with her, still.  
  
"Hmmm?" His smile was for her alone, and Sam felt a warmth wash all through her, like she did every time he smiled at her like that. Did he have any idea what he did to her? Probably. Well... maybe.  
  
"Nothing..." She reached her hand out and touched his cheek, just because she could, and he was close enough to let her. And winced when she felt the motion pull all the aching muscles along her ribs and bruised side.  
  
Jack didn't miss the expression of pain that crossed her features, and his own eyes clouded with concern.  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
"Only a little." She told him, smiling again, and trying to get the expression on his face to change back to the one she'd originally seen. It wasn't going to happen, though.  
  
"I'll get you one of those pills."  
  
"It's okay. I don't need-"  
  
"Yes, you do." He said, softly, but firmly. "They're for pain, and you hurt. Therefore... a pain pill."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Sam... don't argue with me about this, okay?"  
  
Oh, sure. He could argue with Fraiser about his own medication until the cows came home and all the medical teams were blue in the face, but she couldn't argue with him about one little pill? It wasn't fair. Not one bit. She scowled, but he leaned over and kissed her softly. So softly that she wasn't even all that positive his lips had touched her own. It could have just been his breath on her lips that she felt. Whatever it was, though, it made the scowl go away, and she nodded.  
  
"Fine. But only one. And find me a little one. I don't want to sleep the rest of the day."  
  
"Janet said sleep is good for you."  
  
He smiled, because he knew that she wasn't going to think it was fair that he was throwing Fraiser's words back at her when he always complained when it was him that was being forced to take them. It was different, though. This was Sam, and she needed to be taken care of. He wasn't nearly as important, and could gamble with his own health, but he would never do that with hers.  
  
Predictably, she scowled again, and Jack leaned over once more.  
  
"I'm still going to be mad, even if you kiss me," she warned him.  
  
"I don't believe you're mad right now..." He kissed her, again. Another soft kiss that took her breath away far more quickly than any bruised ribs or aches and pains, and Sam moaned softly in response. He pulled away, looking down at her, the concern gone from his eyes and a smile on his lips. "Still mad?"  
  
"That's not fair..."  
  
He leaned over again, but she had a different plan in mind this time, and as his lips met hers, she brought her hand to Jaffer's ear, tickling the lab and waking him from his sound sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Jack's face far too close to be ignored. Sam moved her head slightly, just enough to make room for Jaffer's, and the black lab gave O'Neill a number of very sloppy kisses before he could pull his head back, sputtering.  
  
"Oh, _that_ was downright evil, woman..." He wiped the dog slobber off his face – there was a ton of it.  
  
Sam laughed, despite the pain from her ribs. That was perfectly done, and she gave Jaffer a pat in thanks, and moved her head away before he could decide her face should be his next target.  
  
"You know you love his kisses."  
  
"In moderation, Sam."  
  
Jack pushed himself up off the bed, and told her he'd be right back.  
  
"Don't let her up, Jaffer."  
  
"He can't stop me from getting up," She told him, looking at the black lab.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Jack turned back from the door, and pointed at Carter. "Jaffer, hold her."  
  
The black lab stood up and straddled Sam, his big feet on either side of her body, his head even with her own. Effectively pinning her down to the bed by standing on the blankets that surrounded her. She'd have to push him off her – something she couldn't do without a bit of leverage, which she couldn't get in her current position – or she'd have to convince him to let her up. Sam knew that Jaffer would obey Jack long before he obeyed Sam, so she was, literally, stuck where she was.  
  
Jack grinned.  
  
Sam scowled.  
  
"That's not fair. It's two against one."  
  
"We're not against you, Sam. Now stay put, and I'll be right back with your medicine."  
  
Yeah, like she had a lot of choice? Just to see what would happen, Sam tried to sit up under Jaffer, to move out from underneath him. The big dog lowered his body slightly, resting about half of his weight on her, obviously responding to her movements as he'd been trained to.  
  
"Okay okay." She allowed her body to relax under him, and he took his weight off her, looking down at her intently, his brown eyes grinning at her as cheerfully as Jack's had. "Don't those dog guys have anything better to do all day than teach you useless tricks?" 


	8. 08

Author's note: it's not going anywhere... it's just some Jack/Sam/Jaffer time!  
  
................  
  
The living room was cold, and a quick look over at the sliding glass door leading out to the deck told Jack why. Jaffer had been out, and had left the door open in his wake. During the summer that wasn't such a terrible thing, but now that winter was on them, it was downright chilly, and Jack was going to have to see about getting someone to teach Jaffer to shut the door behind him. If that was possible, although Jack was pretty sure by now that there wasn't anything Jaffer couldn't be taught.  
  
He closed the door, and shivered a little. It was cold! Crazy dog. Turning up the heat just a little, he went into the kitchen where he'd set the bag that Fraiser had given him that contained Sam's medicine.  
  
He was back in his room almost immediately, carrying a glass of water and a pill. He smiled when he saw the grumpy look on Carter's face as she looked up at Jaffer, who was still in place above her.  
  
"So...? You get up, yet?"  
  
Yeah, that was probably not very clever of him; goading a grumpy person, but Jack couldn't help himself. He loved teasing Sam.  
  
She looked over at him and scowled, and took the glass from him.  
  
"It's still two against one. I don't care what you say."  
  
"Off, Jaffer."  
  
As Jaffer moved off Sam and flopped down next to her once more, Jack sat on the edge of the bed and handed over the pill he'd brought her. Carter took it and swallowed it, washing it down with a long drink of the water.  
  
He took the glass from her, and set it on the stand next to his bed.  
  
"We're not ganging up on you, Sam."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"Do you want us to leave you alone?" He decided that maybe he shouldn't have teased her. Feeling miserable was bad enough without having someone making fun of you, and now he was feeling a little guilty. If she wanted a little away from them time, he and Jaffer could go into the living room and make themselves scarce.  
  
She shook her head, reaching for his hand.  
  
"I don't want to sleep. I want to get up."  
  
"You're supposed to stay off your feet."  
  
"I can stay off my feet somewhere else."  
  
"We could watch TV..."  
  
"In the living room?"  
  
"Here." He pointed to the TV.  
  
Sam shook her head.  
  
"I want to get out of bed, Jack."  
  
"The living room's cold. Jaffer left the door open."  
  
"So I'll bundle up in a blanket."  
  
"Sam-"  
  
"Jack."  
  
She crossed her arms and glared at him. She wasn't going to be coddled like this. Not by him, not by anyone. She wanted up. Jack knew the look well, of course, and he knew that she was serious.  
  
"Fine. But only to the living room, and you have to stay on the couch."  
  
She nodded; surprised that he'd given in so easily.  
  
"Fine."  
  
He got up and pulled the blankets back, motioning for Jaffer to get off the bed, and then he gathered her up in his arms as carefully as he could and picked her up. She winced when he jarred her bruised ribs – and other aches – but he didn't catch the look since he was more intent on not tripping over anything as he turned with her in his arms and headed for the bedroom door, and she didn't say anything, certain that he would have put her right back down if he knew she hurt and determined that she was going to get up now.  
  
"You okay?" He asked.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Another problem just made itself known, though, and Sam groaned inwardly. Great. She never should have drunk the whole glass of water. "Um... Jack?"  
  
"What?"  
  
He looked down at her, concerned by the sudden change in her voice.  
  
"I... um... need to stop at the bathroom."  
  
He nodded, trying to act casual. Sure. Everyone peed, right? No problem.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Just get me to the door. I'll do the rest."  
  
"Nah, I'll help you..."  
  
"There's not much you can do, Jack," She told him, grinning.  
  
She was right. He took her into the bathroom, but the rest was up to her. He waited until she was done, picked her back up and brought her out to the living room.  
  
"It's cold in here."  
  
"I told you." He set her on the sofa. "You sure you want to be here? I can take you back into the bedroom..."  
  
"No, I want to stay out here. Please?"  
  
"Whatever you want, Sam." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll go get you some blankets. Be right back."  
  
Jaffer walked over to the sofa and looked for a place to hop up and join her, but she was pretty much taking the whole thing with her legs stretched out, and the big lumpy cast keeping her from being able to draw her legs up under herself like she normally would have. Instead, he hopped up in one of the recliners. The recliner that didn't recline, because he'd long since chewed the lever off that you pulled on.  
  
Sam leaned back, closing her eyes and hugging herself. She was only wearing a t-shirt and sweats (since nothing else would fit over her cast) and there was a definite chill in the room.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
He was back sooner than she expected – or maybe she dozed off for a moment. Sam opened her eyes, and nodded as he brought an armful of blankets over to her and covered her up warmly with them.  
  
"Just a little tired, I guess."  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
She'd slept through all of the morning and part of the afternoon already. And he didn't know what Janet had fed her for breakfast.  
  
"If you make something, I'll eat it..." As long as it didn't take any effort on her part. Now that she was warming up, she was definitely feeling sleepy and lazy. Or maybe the pain pill was taking affect.  
  
"Soup?"  
  
She shook her head. Too much effort.  
  
"Sandwich?"  
  
She shook her head. Too much food.  
  
"Eggs?"  
  
Ugh. Not just then. She shook her head again.  
  
"How about I make something, and we see if you're hungry enough to eat it when it's done?"  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
She opened her eyes, and found him crouched next to her, his eyes level with hers, and his expression concerned. She knew immediately why.  
  
"I'm fine, Jack... just sleepy. Make a sandwich for me, and I'll eat it."  
  
He nodded, but didn't move away from where he was.  
  
"You're sure you're okay?"  
  
"It's just the medication. Janet said it would make me sleepy."  
  
True.  
  
He nodded, and brushed his hand lightly against her cheek, checking to make sure there was no fever. There wasn't.  
  
"Why don't you sleep, Sam? We'll eat later."  
  
She nodded, and closed her eyes. That was a good idea. 


	9. 09

Jack stayed next to her until he was certain that she was asleep, but he didn't join her on the couch for the same reason Jaffer hadn't. There wasn't any room for him. And he had no intention of waking her up to get her to make room for him. He looked over at the recliner Jaffer was on, but his black lab was almost asleep, too, and Jack wouldn't have moved him, anyways. He stood up, wincing when his knees protested, and went into the kitchen. He was hungry. He was tired, too, since he'd slept lousy the night before, but unlike Sam, he was more hungry than he was tired.  
  
Jaffer heard the fridge open, and joined Jack in the kitchen. _He_ was always more hungry than he was tired. Jack grinned and looked down at the lab, who was looking through the choices in the fridge eagerly, waiting for Jack to decide what he was going to make for them.  
  
"A sandwich?"  
  
He wagged his tail. He would eat a sandwich.  
  
"Sandwich it is."  
  
Jack pulled out the makings and moved over to the counter, tossing Jaffer a piece of sliced turkey to tide him over until the finished product was ready. Then he tossed him another one because the first one vanished so quickly. And another one just because.  
  
"No more, or I won't have any for the sandwiches." Jack said, firmly – right before tossing him another piece, which was caught neatly and gobbled down.  
  
He made three sandwiches. Two for him, one for Jaffer – which he cut into pieces, then they went out into the living room, which was finally starting to warm up again. Jack took the chair Jaffer had claimed, and Jaffer plopped down beside the chair, watching him expectantly. There were two plates in Jack's hand, and the big lab knew from experience that one of them was for him.  
  
O'Neill was wrong. He wasn't more hungry than he was tired. Either that or the tiredness took over once he'd finished the first sandwich and the edge had been taken off of his hunger. He started drooping fairly quickly once he'd finished the first sandwich. No problem, really. He just repositioned himself in the chair a little more comfortably, and rested his head against the tall back, his legs draped over the arm, then he closed his eyes, sighing tiredly.  
  
Jaffer watched as Jack fell asleep, his brown eyes fixed on the sandwich on the plate that was still in O'Neill's lap, and on Jack's face. There was a certain amount of time he'd give Jack to decide to wake up and finish the sandwich, but if O'Neill didn't open his eyes soon, he was going to lose that sandwich to the great black hunter.  
  
The plate dipped slightly, and Jack's head leaned a little more heavily against the chair. With a gentle motion – his eyes now intent on Jack's face – Jaffer cleared O'Neill's plate for him, grabbing the sandwich in his mouth and silently demolishing it. Then he walked over to the couch, looked up once more to see if maybe Sam had moved enough to make room for him – she hadn't. He sniffed the cast on her leg once more, debating how edible it was, and taking a taste, just in case it tasted better than it smelled. Nope. It wasn't really very good.  
  
Jaffer sighed, and jumped up into the other recliner. It wasn't as soft and comfortable as the one Jack had claimed, but it would do. He closed his eyes, but his nose and ears were still active, listening for any noises or scents that didn't belong. After all, he was the guard dog, right? It was his job to keep his people safe.  
  
.................  
  
A noise woke Jaffer much later. The lab opened his eyes and saw that Sam had struggled into a sitting position and was looking around. He raised his head and looked over at her, expectantly, wagging his tail in greeting, and waiting to see if she needed anything from him.  
  
Carter had been slightly out of sorts when she woke up. Her head was aching just a little – probably because she hadn't had anything to eat for a while – and her mouth and throat were dry. She wanted something to drink, but she had absolutely no intention of waking Jack up. She looked over and saw that Jaffer was awake and watching her, and smiled. That dog was so cheerful that it was hard to be grumpy around him.  
  
"I don't suppose you'd go get me some juice?" She asked him, remembering that fetching things from the fridge was one of the first tricks that Jaffer had been taught. The problem was, he normally would only perform them for Jack.  
  
Jaffer sighed, and dragged himself off the chair, and coming over and sniffing Sam's cast once more – just to make sure no one had spilled maple syrup on it while he'd been sleeping. No such luck.  
  
Sam sighed, too. No such luck. He obviously wasn't interested in fetching her anything. Ah well. She reached out and gestured for him to come closer so she could pet him, at least. Jaffer moved away from her and headed out of sight, though. He apparently didn't want to be petted, either. She grumbled silently to herself, wondering if she should just get up and get it herself. She'd just about decided she could make it on her own, when she heard the fridge open, and she turned her head and raised herself up slightly so she could look over the back of the couch and towards the kitchen. A moment later, Jaffer appeared at the kitchen doorway, with a bottle of juice in his mouth, and his tail was wagging idly as ambled over to her.  
  
"You are a doggie genius, aren't you?" Sam murmured, taking the juice from him, and feeling strangely pleased and proud that he'd fetched for her. Jaffer licked her hand, and then put his front feet up on the couch. He wanted up, and now that she was awake, she could move for him, right?  
  
Sam moved slightly, making room for him, and the big lab climbed up beside her, shuffling carefully until he was snugly pressed up against her, then Sam leaned against him, using his big body as a pillow. She waited to see if he moved – a sure sign he didn't like the position – but he didn't, and she opened her juice and took a couple long drinks before she cuddled against the lab and went back to sleep. He wasn't Jack, but he was furry and warm, and almost as good. 


	10. 10

Jack scowled, his brown eyes looking at the couch with a definite pout in them. Jaffer met his gaze levelly, and didn't so much as blink. Yup. He had the couch. Yup. He had the hot blonde leaning against him while she slept, and oh, yeah, she was warm and soft, and her hand was on his side, where it had been since she fell asleep. Oh, yeah... she had also called him a doggie genius. When was the last time she called _you_ a genius, hot shot?  
  
"That's just decidedly unfair..." Jack murmured.  
  
Jaffer didn't reply, of course, but his brown eyes grinned cheerfully.  
  
Jack scowled. But he didn't mean it. Sam looked comfortable. Jaffer looked comfortable. He'd have slept in hot ashes as long as those two were happy.  
  
He'd woken only a few minutes before, with a stiff neck, sore legs, and a rumbling stomach. It was already getting dark out, he saw through the sliding glass window – it was winter, so it happened early - but it was still later than he'd thought it would be. He'd looked over and saw that Jaffer had somehow managed to worm his way onto the couch with Sam, and saw the half-filled juice bottle and assumed he knew how the lab had accomplished it.  
  
He got up. Aches and pains not withstanding, he needed to take care of some things, and he needed to cook them all some dinner. Sam hadn't eaten, and she'd be hungry when he woke her. And Jack was hungry, too. Definitely time to get a solid meal into the two of them. He started for the kitchen.  
  
"You stay there, little man," Jack said, when Jaffer showed every intent of giving up the hot blonde sleeping against him for a chance at whatever O'Neill was going to make in the kitchen. With a sigh, the lab relaxed once more, looking at Jack and then down at Sam, whose cheek was resting lightly against his silky shoulder. Ah well. At least she smelled good, and wasn't drooling on him.  
  
Jack went into the kitchen, and pulled out his counter top grill. Hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and some kind of vegetable. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was filling, and it was something he could make fairly quickly. He filled a saucepan with water and set it to boiling, then got to work on the burgers. Before too long the house smelled good, and Jack's stomach rumbled even more. So did Jaffer's.  
  
.......................  
  
"Sam?"  
  
She heard him whisper her name, but she was warm, and comfortable, and she tried to ignore it.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
She sighed, and turned her head slightly, feeling the silky warmth under her, and wondering absently to herself when Jack had gotten such comfortable pillowcases. Then the pillow moved slightly, and Carter felt something warm and wet running across her cheek and nose. Oh, didn't she just know what _that_ was by now?  
  
"Jaffer... stop..." Her hand was resting against the warm silkiness that she now was certain was Jaffer's side. She stroked him gently to distract him from licking her face. The licking continued. He didn't really obey other people all that often, after all.  
  
"Sam? Wake up..."  
  
She felt a hand brushing her already wet cheek, and opened her eyes. Two sets of brown eyes were watching her intently, and before she could say anything, the devastating tongue snaked out once more and caught her on the chin.  
  
"Blech..."  
  
"The price you pay when you let him sleep with you," Jack told her, smiling. "When he thinks it's time to wake up, he makes sure you know it."  
  
"Is it time to wake up?" She asked, sitting up with an effort, and looking around, rubbing her face sleepily.  
  
"It's dinner time. You definitely need to eat."  
  
She was aware just then of how good the house smelled. And how warm the living room was. Both were wonderful.  
  
"I'm starving..."  
  
"Good."  
  
Jaffer slid out from beside Sam, and headed for the door and opened it, and Sam felt a blast of fairly cold air. She shivered as she watched the black lab leave the house and head out onto the deck, then smiled in appreciation when O'Neill covered her shoulders warmly with a blanket and went to close the door.  
  
"What's for lunch?" She asked him when he came back and sat down in the place Jaffer had vacated.  
  
"Dinner." He corrected with a smile. "Hamburgers, mac and cheese and corn."  
  
"Sounds good." Pretty much anything would have sounded good, just then.  
  
"Good. Stay put and I'll bring you some."  
  
She nodded, and he started to stand up, but Sam reached out and took his arm.  
  
"Kiss me?"  
  
Like she had to ask twice?  
  
He gathered her into his arms gently, and kissed her. It could have been incredibly heated, she knew, but he held back slightly. Not enough for her too feel that he didn't care – she knew better than that, of course – but enough that the two of them weren't gasping for breath and trying to control their reactions when he broke it off. It was the perfect pre-dinner kiss as far as Sam was concerned, and she smiled sleepily when he released her, instead of groaning and longing for more.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem." He planted another kiss on her lips, but this one was short – although no less sweet. "You need more, just give me a call."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"You do that."  
  
He smiled, and disappeared into the kitchen, but Sam could hear him, and knew he wasn't going to be gone long.  
  
"How hungry are you?" He called, dishing up her plate.  
  
"Starving."  
  
He made her a burger with all the trimmings, and put it on her plate with her corn and mac and cheese.  
  
"Juice, soda, milk or coffee?"  
  
"Coffee?"  
  
"You got it."  
  
Jaffer's dark form appeared outside the glass door, but the lab couldn't open the door from the outside. It was designed that way on purpose. Not to keep Jaffer out, but to keep people who didn't belong from using the door the same way the lab did. Sam wondered briefly what Jaffer would ever do if there was a burglar in the house. He was such a laid back dog; she couldn't imagine him even growling at anyone seriously.  
  
"Jaffer wants in."  
  
"I'll be right there, Sam."  
  
"Want me to let him in?"  
  
"No. You stay put. He's not going to die if he stays outside a minute longer than he wants to."  
  
Jaffer barked, obviously not agreeing. He was fairly certain he was close to death out there in the cold.  
  
Sam smiled. She turned her head and saw Jack was filling Jaffer's food dish with actual dog food. A crunchy kind that was good for his teeth, and his coat and other parts of him. O'Neill let his dog pretty much eat whatever he wanted, but he also made sure he ate what he was supposed to, Sam knew. The minute Jaffer stopped eating the dry food Jack put out was the minute O'Neill would stop giving him sandwiches and other such people food that he liked so much. Jaffer seemed to understand this, because Jack went through a ton of dog food every month, and Jaffer went through a lot of people food.  
  
Jaffer barked again, watching as his food dish was filled. He had a very deep bark. One that wouldn't be ignored long.  
  
"Hold your horses, little man," Jack called, wiping off his hands and heading out of the kitchen. He stopped just long enough to kiss am once more, then went to the door and opened it. Jaffer bounded in, stopped long enough to sniff Jack and make sure he was okay, then went over to Sam and sniffed her as well. A quick check to make sure the cast still didn't have maple syrup on it – damn, it didn't – and the lab went to his food dish, acting as though he hadn't eaten in weeks.  
  
"You know... he's not little any more..."  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"Monica thinks he's got a bit of growing in him, still."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You're not going to be able to call him _little man_ much longer. Soon he'll weight more than you."  
  
"Well, probably not that much, but he's already getting heavier than Shawn."  
  
He disappeared into the kitchen once more and returned with a plate and a cup of coffee, which he handed to her to hold while he pulled the coffee table close enough for her to use as a table.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
It looked delicious, and her stomach growled impatiently.  
  
"Chef Jack, at your service." He gave her a self-mocking bow, and vanished into the kitchen again, returning with his own dinner, and another cup of coffee.  
  
"No one would ever believe you can cook, you know?" Sam told him, picking up her burger and biting into it hungrily.  
  
He grinned, watching her enjoy the first bite before picking up his own.  
  
"Saves me the trouble of cooking for people I don't want to feed." 


	11. 11

Dinner was finished rather quickly. They'd both been hungry, and whatever they couldn't finish on their own Jaffer was more than willing to help them with. Except the corn. It was one of the very few things that Jack had noticed his lab didn't like. Which made watching him eat stew enjoyable, since Jaffer would carefully pick out the corn and eat all the other meat and vegetables around it. But that night it was burgers, and he loved burgers.  
  
After dinner, he handed her the remote control and told her to amuse herself while he did the dishes and cleaned up. Another reason Jack didn't cook all that often. Cooking required cleaning. Jaffer joined him in the kitchen, watching him as he washed the dishes and wiped off the counters, but not offering to help. He had other things in mind, and he'd be patient while he waited, but he wasn't going to let Jack forget that it was treat time. Finally Jack reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a bag of dog treats, and brought it out to Sam.  
  
"Here, make him do some tricks for you," He said as he handed it to her.  
  
"Will he?"  
  
"Of course he will, Sam." Jack smiled, wondering why she'd even ask that. "He loves you."  
  
Jaffer barked softly, as if in agreement, and Sam smiled. The lab had followed Jack – or maybe he'd followed the bag of treats – out of the kitchen, and was watching it expectantly.  
  
Sam nodded, and Jack went back into the kitchen to finish the pots and griddle, while Sam opened the bag of treats.  
  
"Sit, Jaffer."  
  
Yeah yeah. Sit. Easy as pie. He sat, and she gave him a treat.  
  
Jaffer had a dizzying array of tricks and commands that he knew. Sam didn't even know what all he could do, so Jack would tell her what he knew, and give her the command to give him. He did them flawlessly.  
  
He sat. He spoke. He shook hands, gave a high five, sat up and begged (which was so cute that Sam made him do it a few more times). He played dead. He did everything she asked him to.  
  
"You should see him outside sometime," Jack commented when she told him how impressed she was. "They've really done a good job teaching him things."  
  
He came into the room and sat down next to her on the couch, and closed up the bag of treats, ignoring the reproachful look Jaffer gave him.  
  
"More tomorrow."  
  
Jaffer sighed, and jumped up into the recliner, and closed his eyes. It was probably time for him to take a nap anyways. Doing tricks takes a lot out of you, after all. Sam smiled, enjoying the way Jack interacted with his dog, and then leaned against him carefully, testing her ribs to see how much they'd allow her to do.  
  
His arm came around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he flipped through the channels.  
  
"Anything in particular you want to do?"  
  
Sam shook her head.  
  
"Tomorrow I want to go to my house and get some things."  
  
"Tomorrow I'll go to your house and get you some things," he told her. "You'll stay off your feet like you were told."  
  
Sam scowled.  
  
"You won't know what to get."  
  
"You can write me a list."  
  
"It's not the same."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry." He ran his hand through her silky blonde hair, carefully avoiding the bump on her forehead she'd obtained in her fall the morning before. It was more bruise than bump, now, but he was sure it still hurt.  
  
Sam closed her eyes, sighing. Arguing with him wasn't going to make him change his mind, she knew.  
  
"I want my laptop, too." She told him.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"And my notes on the –"  
  
"Sam..." He hushed her before she could start. "Just write me a list, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
He wasn't going to remember it all, anyways, and they both knew it. Even with a list.  
  
He put his feet up on the coffee table, and leaned back a little, careful not to jostle her, and found a documentary on the Discovery channel that caught his attention enough to watch. And the two of them lazed around the rest of the evening, doing nothing but watching TV and cuddling on the sofa like any ordinary couple might. It was a pleasant change from being shot at and chased around strange planets by snake carrying aliens.  
  
No matter how relaxing the evening was, it had to come to an end eventually. Jack called it a night when he realized Sam was starting to fall asleep (although she claimed she'd only been resting her eyes). He picked her up carefully, stopped off at the bathroom so she could brush her teeth and take care of other things, then put her back into his bed and covered her up warmly. Then he went to let Jaffer out.  
  
He stood on the deck, enjoying the chill night air as he waited for his black lab to run around the yard a few times, looking for the perfect spot to pee. He double-checked the lock on the door when the two of them came back in, something he did all the time, since he didn't want Jaffer to be able to let himself out in the middle of the night. Nothing worse than being froze in the morning because the dog had left the door open all night. A quick shower, and he rejoined Sam in the bedroom.  
  
"Painkiller?"  
  
She nodded. She wasn't going to be able to sleep with her ribs throbbing like they were. Especially if he slept with her – which she wanted. Jack tended to hold her closely when they slept, and while Sam liked that, she knew it wouldn't be comfortable that night without a little help.  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't sleep in here tonight..."  
  
Obviously he was following the same line of thinking she was. From the concern in his dark eyes she could tell he really was considering sleeping in the spare room, or on the couch. Sam shook her head.  
  
"You definitely should." She told him. "What if I need you?"  
  
"What if I hurt you?"  
  
"You won't."  
  
It wasn't like they were going to actually be intimate, or anything. She knew she wasn't up for that. Not tonight. And she knew even if she thought she was, he wouldn't do anything so physical with her when she was looking so bruised.  
  
He wasn't so sure, but he allowed himself to be convinced. He didn't want to be apart from her, after all. He flipped off the light and got into bed, and Sam snuggled up next to him, her arm draping over him. She dozed off almost immediately, but Jack lay awake a long time, holding her and watching her as she slept. Yet another of his favorite past times.  
  
Eventually, the long day, the warmth of the woman sleeping next to him, and the gentle snores of the dog that shared their bed all caught up with him. He closed his eyes, and allowed himself to drift off. 


	12. 12

"I'll leave Jaffer here," Jack told Sam the next morning after breakfast. He was going to run a few errands, and wasn't at all fond of the idea of leaving Sam alone while he did.  
  
"You don't have to do that."  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
Duh. Of course he did. She couldn't come with him, and he wouldn't leave her home alone when she wasn't at her best. Jaffer would be good company for her and he could keep an eye on her while Jack wasn't able to.  
  
Sam looked at the black lab, who was watching them both. Carter was on the sofa, leaning against a pile of pillows with her feet stretched out and her cast covered. (They'd finally noticed the marks on the cast left by Jaffer's teeth when the lab had taken a taste of the plaster to see if it was good for eating, and Jack had decided that the small nibble was more than enough plaster for Jaffer.)  
  
"Don't forget my laptop."  
  
"I won't."  
  
He patted the pocket that held the list – the incredibly long list – of things she wanted from her house and from her lab. It was shorter than it had started, though, since Sam had taken a look at the gnaw marks on her cast, decided that Jaffer wasn't over his chewing stages after all, and had scratched a number of the more expensive items off the list.  
  
Jack looked over at her. The coffee table held a bottle of juice, a glass of water and a small plate of snacks (that would vanish the moment Sam fell asleep if she didn't eat them first). She should be fine. He'd also thought to lock the sliding glass door so Jaffer couldn't get out and leave it open and freeze her out of the living room. Then, he'd drawn the curtains closed, because she mentioned the bright sunlight was giving her a headache from the glare of it coming off the TV.  
  
"Need anything else before I go?"  
  
"No. I'm fine, Jack."  
  
She shooed him away.  
  
"I don't have to tell you to stay off your feet, do I?"  
  
She rolled her eyes, and shook her head. He'd been telling her that all morning. She had a very good memory, after all.  
  
"No, Sir! I will stay right where I am until you come back." She snapped him a salute.  
  
"I'll be back soon." He looked at Jaffer, who was sprawled on the floor, stretched out like a big black rug (with a wagging tail). "You keep her on the couch, little man."  
  
Jaffer raised his head and his tail wagged harder.  
  
"Don't you dare tell him to sit on me." Sam protested.  
  
"I won't." Jack said, leaning over and stealing a quick kiss. "I don't need to. He won't let you up."  
  
It was an empty threat, because Jack really wasn't all that sure that Jaffer would keep her on the couch. Luckily, Sam didn't know that. He grinned at the look she gave him, and headed for the door, grabbing his keys on the way out, and locking the door behind him.  
  
Sam scowled down at Jaffer, who had stayed still while Jack left.  
  
"You wouldn't really keep me here if I didn't want to stay, would you?"  
  
He growled softly, but the threatening rumble in his chest was offset by the cheerful gleam in his brown eyes and the wagging tail. He most certainly would keep her there.  
  
"Bah."  
  
She tossed him one of the snacks from her plate, and he caught it easily and gobbled it down. Then Sam picked up the remote control, and turned on the TV. There was a thing on NOVA she wanted to watch, and since she couldn't go anywhere anyways, she figured she might as well watch it.  
  
.................  
  
"There he goes."  
  
"He's alone, though."  
  
"He lives alone, stupid."  
  
"He's got a dog. I've seen it."  
  
"Yeah. Where's the dog?"  
  
"Back yard?"  
  
"Hopefully."  
  
The three men looked at each other from the van they were sitting in that was parked at the end of the street. Big men, all three of them, and tough looking. But that didn't mean they liked dogs.  
  
"I'll go knock on the door. Dogs bark, right?"  
  
"Yeah. All dogs bark."  
  
"So, if he barks, we'll know he's inside and needs to be dealt with. If he's outside, he'll be out of the way, anyways."  
  
They watched as O'Neill got into his truck and pulled out of the driveway, and then ducked slightly as he drove past them.  
  
"Go knock on the door, Tom." One of the men urged his friend.  
  
The biggest of the three shook his head.  
  
"Not yet. We'll wait and make sure he didn't forget something and come back home after it. Give it a few minutes."  
  
"Fine."  
  
The three waited silently for a few minutes, impatiently tapping fingers on the dash of the van, or making annoying clicking noises with their tongues, and finally Tom opened the door. He was more annoyed by the noises his partners were making than he was worried about the guy coming back.  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
He walked up the sidewalk, and looked around when he reached the driveway Jack had just pulled out of a few minutes earlier. No one was around – which had been the whole idea. Most people thought that burglaries take place during the middle of the night, but a mart robber will go during the day, when people are at work. (The person they're stealing from, as well as the neighbors who were potential witnesses). The three men had been making a small fortune the last few months doing this, and had been looking for a good house on the quiet street to make their next move. The nice truck, and the fact that there weren't any signs of a family – kids and a wife – to maybe be home during the day and complicate things, made the O'Neill house look very attractive to the three, and they'd been by a couple nights before to take a preliminary look.  
  
They'd noticed that the guy that lived in the house tended to stay up all night. His bedroom light had been on all evening, and he'd been up and down all night to judge by the lights going off and on in various parts of the house. Obviously a night robbery was out of the question, even if they didn't prefer to work during the day. The only thing that bothered them was the dog. He was a big dog, although as near as they could tell he was friendly, since his tail always seemed to be wagging. But big dog or not, they had chosen the house, and if the dog got in the way, well... they had ways of dealing with dumb dogs.  
  
Tom walked up the driveway and to the door and knocked lightly on the door. He didn't expect anyone to answer, of course, but just in case he had a story ready. He'd be looking for someone who he thought lived here, but might be on the next block over.  
  
Inside the house, Jaffer came immediately to his feet as soon as he heard the door. A knock on the door usually meant a pizza! Or someone was coming to visit that he knew and liked, and that meant attention. Which was almost as good as a pizza. He walked over, looking at the door expectantly, his tail wagging idly, even though he didn't recognize the smell of the person on the other side, and he certainly didn't smell a pizza. He looked over at Carter, waiting to see what she was going to do.  
  
Sam groaned, softly, but she couldn't get up. Besides, Janet had called already that morning and said she was going to be on base all day, Daniel and Teal'c were both off-world, and she knew Jack wasn't expecting company. It was probably someone selling something, and certainly that wasn't worth trying to get to the door for.  
  
The knock sounded again, but then whoever it was must have given up, because she didn't hear it again, and Jaffer eventually moved away from the door. 


	13. 13

"Well?"  
  
"I didn't hear any barking."  
  
"Maybe the dog had a vet appointment."  
  
Tom clearly looked troubled, though. He didn't like the missing dog. Things like that made him nervous.  
  
"Maybe we should wait..."  
  
"What? No way! This is perfect. He's _gone_, man. The dog's probably gone, too. Even if he isn't-"  
  
"You know what a dog like that can do to someone, Jim?" Tom was getting defensive, which meant angry. "Big dogs have big teeth."  
  
"Whatever. You don't want to come, fine. Get out. Me and Gene can do this just fine ourselves." He started the van.  
  
Tom was obviously indecisive, but he didn't get out of the van. Greed won out over nervousness, and when the van pulled into the driveway only a few minutes later, he was the first one to get out.  
  
"Go to the back, Jim. See if there's a door open. We'll check the windows."  
  
"What if the dog's in the back yard?" Jim didn't really like the idea of a big dog, either.  
  
"You're the one that didn't want to wait." Besides, if the dog was in the back yard, he wasn't going to cause them any trouble, unless there was a dog door. Tom hoped the dog was in the back yard.  
  
Grumbling, Jim went around back, and the other two men started checking the side of the house for any unlocked windows.  
  
.................  
  
Inside the house, Jaffer had decided something was not as it should be. He'd heard the van pull up, and had gone to the door once more, waiting for another knock. But it hadn't come. His sharp ears had heard conversation, though, and he knew someone was outside. And it wasn't his Jack. He went over to the couch and looked at Sam, but she'd fallen asleep, victim to the potent painkiller she'd taken right before Jack had left.  
  
He whuffled her cheek, gently, but she didn't wake up, although her hand did come up and move his cold nose away with a loving pat. She wasn't awake, but she wasn't completely out of it, either.  
  
Something made a noise in the bedroom, and Jaffer trotted down the hall to see what was going on, but when he entered the room, he didn't see anything. He left the bedroom and went back into the living room, the hackles on his neck starting to come up slowly. He wasn't positive something was wrong, but things were definitely not normal. And Jaffer was edgy.  
  
..................  
  
"Here, doggie..."

The man named Jim looked over the back gate uneasily, but he didn't see any dog. Not a little dog and certainly not the big one they'd seen prancing around the front yard with the guy that lived here. He jumped the fence, and headed for the deck, noticing that that was where the door opened out to. Up the steps and onto the deck, he moved to the door and tried it, but it was locked. No big surprise. He went back to the side of the house where he met up with his partners once more. They'd tried all the windows, but none were open or unlocked.  
  
"Any sign of the dog?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"How do you want to do this?"  
  
"We'll jimmy the front door. That way we can look like movers or something if someone happens past."  
  
They all nodded, and headed back to the front door, gathering around as Tom pulled out a crowbar and jammed it in between the door and the lock. It was a simple matter for a strong man like him to gain enough leverage to pop the lock, and the door swung open. Jim gave his partner a pat on the back, and then headed into the house, and found his path barred by Jaffer.  
  
The black lab had followed the progress of the men as they'd made their way around the house. His sharp ears hadn't missed their voices at the side of the house, even though he couldn't see them, and by now he was pretty sure they didn't belong. People who belonged came through the front door with Jack. Or at least smelled of Jack – or Sam. These men smelled of nervousness, and that made Jaffer suspicious.  
  
By the time the men had ended back up at the front door, the lab's hackles were up completely, making him look even bigger than he already was, and there was a continuous growl rumbling deep in his chest. This wasn't the cute growl that Sam had heard earlier, when she'd asked him about keeping her on the couch. He was serious, now, and the tail wasn't wagging.  
  
"Oh, shit..."  
  
Jim froze. His friends bumped into him as they headed into the house, unaware that he'd stopped.  
  
"What-?"  
  
"Hey-"  
  
Both of them fell silent as they saw Jaffer, his head low, his brown eyes watching all three of them, and a very large set of canines showing as his lips pulled back to warn them that they were not welcomed here.  
  
"Good doggie..."  
  
Oh, no. He was _not_ a good doggie. Jaffer's growl deepened as he smelled their fear. No one that belonged had ever been afraid. _They_ most certainly didn't belong. Not in his house.  
  
"Gimme that crowbar..." Jim reached back for the metal rod, and Tom handed it to him. The man brandished it, hoping to scare Jaffer, but the dog had no fear of a stick. He'd never been beaten with one before, and the only sticks he'd ever seen were to be chased and chewed on. But he didn't like the way it was swung at him like that, and his growl turned more menacing.  
  
.............................  
  
Something was nagging at Jack. He didn't know what it was, exactly, but something was wrong. It was like when you thought maybe you'd left the burner on before leaving for vacation and it bothered you the entire trip so you didn't have fun and you just knew you were going to come home and find the house was burned to the ground because you hadn't gone back and checked it out. That was what it was like, but Jack knew he hadn't left a burner on, and he didn't know what was bothering him.  
  
He was sitting at a red light, waiting for it to turn, and was scowling so fiercely that he was drawing attention from the person in the car next to him. But he didn't notice this. He was trying to figure out what was bugging him. Something he'd seen, obviously, hadn't been right, and his instincts were telling him that he needed to take care of it. But he didn't know what it was. Or if it would wait until he ran his errands.  
  
A horn blew, startling him, and he realized the light had turned and the people in the car behind him had grown tired of waiting. Jack went through the light and took a right. He'd learned a long time ago to trust his instincts, and he wasn't about to start ignoring them now. He headed for home.


	14. 14

It was a stand off. The men wanted into the house. Jaffer had no intention of moving for them. They, of course, couldn't see Sam on the sofa and didn't realize that Jaffer was protecting a lot more than a couple TVs.  
  
Jim swung the crowbar at Jaffer, and the big lab dodged it far more agilely than any of the men had anticipated. With a snarl, Jaffer reacted as he'd been trained, and his teeth flashed as he attacked the hand that had attacked him.  
  
The crowbar dropped as Jim swore, pulling his hand back. His wrist had been slashed open to the bone in an instant and he was bleeding freely.  
  
"Holy _shit_!"  
  
"Grab him!"  
  
While Jaffer's attention was on Jim, waiting for a counterattack, Tom grabbed the black lab around the belly and grabbed him. Jaffer whirled his head around and slashed out with his teeth once more, catching Tom's forearm and clamping down hard.  
  
"_Bastard_!"  
  
He whirled, and tossed the lab out the still open front door, and Gene slammed it shut before Jaffer could get his feet under him and come back for a second round.  
  
"You two all right?" Gene asked.  
  
Both men were grasping their bleeding arms. Jim had a very nasty slash on his wrist, but Tom was the one who was truly hurting, since he'd tossed the dog while Jaffer still had his teeth in his forearm, and the black lab had taken a fair-sized chunk out of the man's arm.  
  
"I _told_ you the fucking dog was dangerous." He told Jim, blood seeping through his fingers that were holding his forearm.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." Jim wasn't any happier, and both men flinched when they heard something heavy bang against the front door. Jaffer wasn't finished with them, yet. Gene flung himself against the door. Since they'd jimmied the lock, it wouldn't latch closed, now, and he didn't want the black lab back in the house that was for sure.  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
They'd effectively got the dog out of the house, but now they were pretty much trapped inside, since they didn't dare go out the front door, and the van was parked by the front door.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
All three of them turned at the sound of a voice coming from the sofa. A sleepy female voice. They could only see the back of the couch, but a second later a blonde tousled head came up from nowhere, and turned towards them. Sleepy blue eyes turned towards them, and even though they weren't focusing all that clearly, Sam knew that none of the three were Jack. The drowsiness brought on by the painkiller faded considerably at the shock.  
  
"Hey! Who are you?"  
  
Jaffer heard Sam's voice, and he threw himself against the door once more, snarling in his fury at being on the wrong side of the door. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew the door wasn't going to open, and he knew if he was going to get inside, it was going to be a different way. He headed around the side of the house, jumping over the gate easily, and landing in the back yard at a full run as he headed for the deck and the back door.  
  
"Relax, lady..." Jim said, holding up his bleeding hand. "We're not going to hurt you..."  
  
Things had definitely gone from bad to much, much worse.  
  
"What-?"  
  
Sam still wasn't positive what was going on, but she knew they didn't belong, and she shook her head, trying to get her fuzzy mind to focus enough to figure out what to do. She didn't have a gun handy, of course, and there wasn't even anything around her for her to throw at them. Nothing that would do any damage, anyways. But she wasn't going to just sit there.  
  
A thud at the sliding glass door drew everyone's attention, and all heads turned as they heard Jaffer barking at the back door, his claws scrabbling on the glass as he tried to get in.  
  
"Oh, God..." Gene was considerably paler than he'd been when they'd started this whole thing. Crazy dog. He was going to get in and eat them, Gene just knew it.  
  
"Relax," Jim snapped. "He can't get in."  
  
"Jaffer!"  
  
Sam called the lab, hoping he'd figure out a way. Who knew what they'd taught him? Meanwhile, she grabbed up the remote control and flung it at the closest of the three men. One of the ones who was bleeding. The device hit him in the head, and he yelped in pain.  
  
"Bitch!"  
  
He advanced on Sam, who reached for the plate that had held her snacks (long since eaten by Jaffer once Sam had fallen asleep) and prepared to fling it. None of them noticed the scrabbling against the sliding glass door had stopped.  
  
"Just relax, lady." Tom said, reaching out and grabbing Jim. The last thing they needed was for things to escalate. "We don't want any trouble-"  
  
There was a crash, and a very furious, very large black form came crashing through the dining room window, sending glass everywhere and causing all of them to freeze. The dog crashed into the back of one of the dining room chairs, and went down, but only for a moment. Then he was back on his feet, eyes taking in everything at once, and deciding a target even as he attacked.  
  
The black lab launched himself at the man who was far too close to his Sam for comfort. The man turned to run, wanting nothing more to do with the crazy dog, and Jaffer's teeth sank into the back of his shirt and the combined weight of the dog and the impact sent Jim sprawling, with seventy-five pounds of fury on top of him trying his damnedest to take off one of the man's ears.  
  
"You've got it whether you want it or not," Sam said, chucking the plate at Tom, who dodged it and dove at her, landing on her and pinning her to the couch with his considerable weight. He wasn't really planning on hurting her; he was just trying to keep her from throwing anything else at him.  
  
Sam yelped with pain when Jim landed on her already bruised ribs, and struggled under him, her hand reaching for anything that might be used to hit him. The yelp drew the attention of the last thing Tom wanted, and Jaffer turned, hearing the sound of pain coming from Sam.  
  
He dared! Someone was touching his Sam! Jaffer's snarl was absolutely enraged as he turned his attention from scalping Jim to attacking Tom. The lab landed on Tom's back, and Sam had a chance to see a flash of vicious teeth before she heard a cry of pain from Tom.  
  
Gene had been immobilized by the furious attack – both the dog and his friends', and he'd been leaning against the door, obviously debating whether to run or to join in.  
  
"Call him _off_, lady!"  
  
Then Jack arrived, and their bad day got a whole lot worse. 


	15. 15

He'd realized what had been bothering him the minute he saw the van in his driveway. When he'd seen the van upon leaving his house, he'd noticed it. The van didn't belong on his street. No one owned one that he knew of and he had at least a passing familiarity with all the cars on his road. Jack pulled the truck to a stop and got out, just in time to hear glass breaking inside his house.  
  
He reached under his seat immediately, pulling out a leather holster and the backup gun that it held. The holster fell to the grass as Jack raced across the lawn, and without thinking about it consciously, he took the safety off the gun as his eyes took in the battered front lock, and the marks that Jaffer's claws had scored on the wood of the door.  
  
"Sam!"  
  
He crashed through the door, which yielded under his weight easily and swung open, knocking a shocked Gene to the floor, and revealing a nightmare that he took in with one quick look.  
  
Jaffer was tussling on the couch with someone. Jack could see both of them clearly. He heard a pained noise coming from the couch that was obviously made by Sam, so he knew immediately she was on the couch as well. There was another guy down on the floor near the couch who was just starting to crawl away, and the bloody trail he was leaving was certain testimony that he'd already had his run in with Jaffer.  
  
Gene looked up from where Jack's entry had knocked him to the floor and he tried to dodge out of the way. Oh, God! The guy was back, and he had a gun! Oh, God! He didn't want anything else to do with this place. This house. Or the dog! He certainly didn't want anything to do with the man that had appeared out of nowhere looking furious and as deadly as the gun in his hand.  
  
Jack didn't even think. The soldier took over as he always did in this kind of situation, and Gene was struck down immediately with a quick blow to the side of his head. Jack wasn't going to ignore the battle on the couch, but he would never in a million years leave a possible enemy behind him.  
  
Gene went down, pole-axed.  
  
"Jaffer!"  
  
It was all the warning Jack gave as he dove into the fray himself, coming over the back of the couch in a controlled dive that took Tom and Jaffer both. Jaffer moved just in time to avoid O'Neill, jumping out of the way, but Tom was struck fully, and the two men rolled off Sam and onto the coffee table, which broke under their weight, sending them to the floor.  
  
Jack lost his gun. But he didn't need it. He was so furious that anyone would dare attack Sam – in his house! – that he was ready to kill Tom with his bare hands.  
  
Jaffer dove into the fight as well. He was just as angry as Jack, after all, and his blood was surging through his veins. He couldn't get a piece of Tom, though. Not without hurting Jack – something Jaffer would never risk doing. The teeth flashed, and growls punctuated the air, but he couldn't get close enough to do any damage.  
  
Sam sat up, her hand pressing tightly against her aching ribs as she tried to catch her breath. The fury of the assault was amazing – both Jaffer and Jack's. She couldn't ever remember seeing him so mad, and she'd never heard or seen Jaffer looking so dangerous. It was hard to believe that this was the same sweet dog that had held her down the day before with such cheerfulness.  
  
A movement caught her eye, and she saw Jim rolling towards the scuffle. Then she realized he wasn't rolling towards the scuffle, he was rolling towards Jack's gun. Sam couldn't reach it. She hurt so bad she just then that she couldn't have moved quickly enough even without the broken leg. With it... well, there was no way. But she knew who could.  
  
"Jaffer!"  
  
The lab looked up at the sound of her voice, and she pointed to Jim, who also looked up. Another growl, and a cry of fear, and Jim once more found himself on the business end of Jaffer's attack. The gun forgotten, and his arms up trying to protect his face from the flashing teeth that were snapping dangerously close. Sam hugged her ribs and watched the battles rage as she tried to catch her breath.  
  
Jack didn't hear any of it. His attention was on the much bigger Tom, who was struggling to get loose. Like Gene, he'd lost any appetite he'd ever had for this. He just wanted to escape now. And Jack wasn't going to let him.  
  
Anyone who knew O'Neill well knew he had a temper. Knew that you just didn't cross him. Knew that he was deadly serious when it came to protecting those he loved. But they didn't know just how deadly he could be when it came to something like this, because none of the people that knew him ever would have dared go near Carter in such a situation. Wouldn't have dreamed of attacking her – even if she hadn't been able to easily protect herself, they knew once Jack found out, it would have been even worse than anything Sam could have done to them. And this was why.  
  
O'Neill was savage, now, as he punched Tom again and again. There was no holding back, no looking around to make sure Jaffer was okay, or that Sam was okay. Jack was focused on only one thing, and Sam realized suddenly that Jack had every intention of actually killing the man who'd attacked her.  
  
"Jack!"  
  
He didn't even turn. His fist landed again.  
  
"Jack!" Sam shouted his name this time.  
  
Jaffer looked up from Jim, anxious when he heard the odd, desperate note in Sam's voice, but there wasn't anyone attacking her, and he couldn't see a threat. Jim moved, slightly, once the dog's attention was elsewhere, and Jaffer's head turned once more to his quarry. Jim froze. Yeah, he wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"Jack! Stop!"  
  
She rolled off the couch, gasping when she hurt herself with the motion.  
  
"Jack! Stop!"  
  
He turned, then. Something in her voice caught his attention, even through his fury. And saw her on the floor. And stopped.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
He rolled off Tom, and crawled the short distance to her, running a bleeding hand over her cheek.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Stop. Please?"  
  
He looked back over at Tom, who lay still, looking at Jack, as if waiting for the attack to continue. It didn't. He was done. With a groan, O'Neill lurched to his feet and stopped down and picked Sam carefully up, putting her back on the couch.  
  
"Guard them, Jaffer," He said, reaching down and picking up his gun and handing it to Sam. He wasn't sure he should hold it just then, anyways. She turned the gun on Tom, but he held up his hands. He wasn't going anywhere, either.  
  
Jack limped over to the phone and picked it up, and dialed the police. 


	16. 16

He didn't give the police much information. Mainly because he really wasn't all that sure what had happened. He told the dispatcher he had three men in his house who had broken in – that much he was sure of – and they needed to come get them. After giving them his address he hung up, looked over at Sam to make sure she was still okay, nudged the still unconscious Gene with one foot, and called the base infirmary.  
  
"Yeah, this is O'Neill. I need to talk to Janet Fraiser."  
  
Someone said something, and Sam could tell from the scowl on Jack's face he didn't like it.  
  
"Interrupt her meeting, Lieutenant. I need her at my house as soon as possible."  
  
He hung up, the sound of sirens in the distance already, and walked over to stand by the couch.  
  
"Did he hurt you?"  
  
The look he gave her was one of concern. The look he gave Tom told him quite clearly that if she said the wrong thing, the bigger man was going to get another ass-kicking.  
  
Sam shook her head, still clutching her ribs.  
  
"Jaffer didn't give him a chance to."  
  
Jack looked over at his dog, who was still holding Jim motionless on the floor. The man was bleeding freely, but it didn't look like anything life- threatening. Jaffer was bleeding as well, and Jack was worried, but he wasn't showing any signs of too much discomfort, so they'd have to wait until the police showed up before Jack could get him taken care of.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Holy shit, what happened...?"  
  
The first officer had arrived. This one was one that Jack knew well, since he was the one that was assigned to Jack's neighborhood, and they'd frequently chatted about dogs – the cop had a German shepherd who he doted on as much as Jack doted on Jaffer. Maybe even more. Well... no... probably not. But it was close.  
  
O'Neill gestured towards the three men.  
  
"They broke in."  
  
"Damn, Colonel. What did you do to them?"  
  
"I wasn't here," Jack said. "Not until the end of it."  
  
"What happened?" The officer asked again, kneeling down next to Gene, and checking for a pulse, then calling for an ambulance.  
  
"Sam will have to tell you." Jack said as two more police cruisers pulled up onto the street, and more officers arrived to deal with Tom and Jim. Both men were bloody, but Tom was obviously more battered. His eyes were both swelling shut, and there were bruises on his face that Jaffer couldn't have given him.  
  
"That one was attacking Sam when I showed up..." Jack said, pointing at Tom, who was being handcuffed, despite the chunk of flesh missing from his forearm. He didn't say anything, he was just glad to be out of there. Jail was better than this place, where every time O'Neill looked at him he was sure the man was going to jump him again and finish what he'd started.  
  
"Ah."  
  
The officers all looked at Sam, who was bruised already from her fall a couple of days before. They were experienced investigators, though, and knew the bruising wasn't fresh.  
  
"Don't worry, guys," She told them, still holding her ribs. They were throbbing something awful from having Tom on her. Sam thought he might have put a knee into them or something. "The bruises are from a fall I took a few days ago."  
  
"Broke her leg, too." Jack said, feeling a fresh surge of anger that someone would dare attack her. Especially when she was already hurt.  
  
"Colonel."  
  
Jack turned when one of the police called him, distracted from his fury for a moment.  
  
"Call off the dog, will ya?"  
  
Jaffer was still guarding Jim, and while he wasn't making any threatening moves towards the police officers, he wasn't exactly allowing them to get all that close to the man, either. He'd been told to guard him, after all.  
  
"Jaffer. Come here."  
  
Jaffer's hackles were still raised a bit, but they were going down rapidly now that there was a lot less tension in the room. He walked over to Jack, placing his body between O'Neill's knees and sitting down, looking up to see what Jack wanted him to do now.  
  
"Good boy."  
  
Jack slid his hands along Jaffer, looking down at his black lab with love and affection. Jaffer was one of the few things that would always be able to calm Jack, although at the moment he felt more anger than anything else. But also a surge of pride when he thought of the way Jaffer had fought. What a display!  
  
"Did they break in through this window?" One of the officers asked as another handcuffed Jim.  
  
"No, Jaffer came through the window," Sam told them, explaining how the men had thrown him out the door and he'd come back for more the only way he could.  
  
As she was explaining this, paramedics arrived and split up to check on the people involved. Jack waved them off when they came to him. He was sore, but he didn't want anyone near him just then but Jaffer. Running his hands along the dog's sides while Sam told the police what happened, he watched as the paramedics checked Carter for any new injuries and he checked Jaffer for anything serious enough that would warrant an emergency visit to the vet. A couple deep scratches (probably caused by the window) were going to need looked at, but the black lab had had worse, so Jack wasn't desperate to get him to Monica. It could wait a little while. Not too long, of course, but a little while.  
  
About a half an hour later, Fraiser came into the room, taking in the broken door, the bloodstains on the floor, the broken glass, the broken coffee table, and the other obvious signs of a big struggle. The police had gotten what information they needed and most of them had left, but there were still a couple taking pictures. Sam was on the couch, and Janet didn't miss the look of pain in her eyes. And she definitely didn't miss the smoldering look in Jack's. Fraiser didn't know what had happened, but whatever it was, O'Neill was still livid about it, even as he stroked Jaffer's sides with hands that were bloody and bruised.  
  
"What on Earth happened?" Janet asked, coming over and sitting next to Sam, instantly beginning to look her over. The paramedics hadn't found anything too wrong with her, but Jack was glad to see Janet there. She knew Sam well enough to know if there were any new injuries.  
  
"Some guys tried to break in while Jack was away..." Sam said, looking over at O'Neill, worriedly. He was still angry, she knew. His entire body was tense, and his eyes were so cold. Sam remembered how furious he'd been when he'd been attacking the man that had pinned her down.  
  
"Colonel?" Jack looked from Jaffer over to Janet.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Why don't you take Jaffer to the clinic and have Monica make sure that he's-"  
  
"I don't want to leave you, Sam."  
  
"I'll stay with her, Sir." Janet told him.  
  
Jack looked at Sam, who nodded. She wanted him out of the house so he'd have a chance to cool off a bit. He wasn't hurt so badly that he needed immediate attention, and by telling him to get Jaffer looked at, she could pretty much guarantee that he'd leave to take his dog to the vet. It worked.  
  
"You'll stay?" He asked Janet.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"We'll call someone to come out and get started on the door and window, too," Sam told him. It was getting pretty chilly in the house with the open window, and there was no way he'd leave the door broken for any longer than necessary.  
  
"You don't need me?"  
  
"Of course I do," Sam said, smiling softly. She'd always need him. "But I'm fine, and Jaffer's bleeding."  
  
Jack looked down at his lab, who was still snugly between his knees, his head resting on Jack's thigh. Jaffer wasn't going to complain about being hurt, but Jack wasn't going to let him be hurt for any longer than he needed.  
  
"Okay. We'll be right back."  
  
He stood up, wincing slightly, and Jaffer stood as well, watching to see where Jack was going and to see if he was going to get to come, too.  
  
"Come on, little man..." Jack said, slipping Jaffer's collar on. "Let's go have a chat with Monica, shall we?"  
  
Jaffer wagged his tail and headed for the door, bloody streaks in his flanks and sides shining in the late morning sun. He heard go!  
  
Jack stopped a minute to have a chat with the police officer by the door, but Sam couldn't hear what was being said. By the nods and glances the officer made her way, though, she was pretty sure O'Neill was making sure that someone was going to stick around, or at least be close at hand if Sam needed something.  
  
She wanted to gripe about it, but she didn't. She wouldn't have changed him if she could have. 


	17. 17

"Come here, little man..."  
  
Jack held the door to the animal clinic open for Jaffer, who walked in as if he owned the place. Pretty much how he walked into everywhere. The receptionist smiled when she saw the pair, even as she mentally sighed when she saw the bloody mess on Jaffer's sides and Jack's hands. Who knew what they'd gotten into this time, but at least it didn't look too bad.  
  
"Hi, Jack."  
  
"Hey, Theresa. Monica free?"  
  
She looked over the counter and down at Jaffer, tossing the black lab a treat. He caught it easily and gobbled it down. Well, there was nothing wrong with Jaffer's reflexes or appetite. That was good.  
  
"I'll go get her. You can fill out the form."  
  
She handed Jack paperwork, and he took it and his dog and went over and sat down on the bench that he pretty much claimed as his own. Mainly because right above the bench there was a very large, beautifully framed picture of Jaffer when he was still small and cuddly. Monica Ray had taken the picture herself, telling Jack she wanted a reminder of the black lab's puppy days, and he, of course, hadn't refused.  
  
The vet showed up only a few minutes later, smiling and shaking her head, and gesturing for the two of them to come on back. She had their room ready. He smiled. A smile that reached his eyes and warmed them considerably.  
  
"What happened to him, Jack?" Monica asked, running warm water over Jaffer's sides as the dog sat in her sink, eyes closed as he enjoyed the attention.  
  
He started telling her, watching her work as he told the story in its entirety – using the information he had gotten from Sam and the crooks as they'd told the police, as well as his own eyewitness account. As he told the story, he found he was losing the very real anger that had been pressing down on him. Telling Jaffer's vet – the woman who had nurtured his baby lab for nearly a year now – just how impressive he'd been was therapeutic.  
  
Monica listened with shock that anyone would dare do such a thing, and concern about Sam – which only lasted until Jack reassured her she was okay – then with a smug satisfaction of her own when Jack described the damage Jaffer had done to the men. She knew how protective dogs were – even normally gentle dogs like labs, and Jaffer had only reinforced that.  
  
"Good dog, Jaffer!" Monica cooed as she stitched up one of the few really deep cuts that would need a little help to heal. Especially since she refused to allow him to ever have a scar that would mar his perfect coat.  
  
Jaffer wagged his tail and tried to lick her face. He knew he was a good dog. Jack had told him that every day for as long as he could remember. And had told him that repeatedly on the trip to the vet's. Of course he was a good dog!  
  
"He's going to be okay?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yes." She looked at his bloody hands, and noticed that he seemed to be favoring his right arm a little. "Are you?"  
  
"I'll get the once over when I get home, I'm sure. Fraiser's with Sam right now, checking her out."  
  
"Tell her to look at your shoulder. Does it hurt?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"Yeah, a little. Nothing big. I'll have her look at it. Can we go?"  
  
"Yup. If he-"  
  
"Has any discomfort or seems to be in pain, bring him back, or give you a call."  
  
They smiled. Jack knew the orders well, by now.  
  
"Thanks, Monica."  
  
"You're welcome, Jack."  
  
.........................  
  
"Did he land on your ribs?"  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
"Did you feel anything that might have been a pop?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"No, I think he just hurt them a little. He's a big guy."  
  
"Not so big that Colonel O'Neill couldn't handle him..." Janet's eyes flashed as angrily as Jack's had at the thought of the men that had tried to burglarize O'Neill's house and had dared attack one of her charges.  
  
"You should have seen them, Janet," Sam said, shaking her head, amazed and now that Jack was gone, able to admit just how frightened she'd been. "Jaffer was everywhere. All teeth and snarls. I've never seen him like before."  
  
"He was protecting you." Fraiser said. "What do you expect?"  
  
"I don't know... it's hard to believe he was the same dog."  
  
"Oh, I believe it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.  
  
"Jaffer's spent his entire life with Jack O'Neill, Sam. Who loves you more than anything. That kind of thing rubs off, you know? He was probably as furious that anyone dared touch you as Jack was. And with good reason."  
  
"Jack was going to kill that man..." Sam said, softly.  
  
"I know." She did know. She could see it in his eyes when she came in the door.  
  
"It's kind of scary..."  
  
"You're afraid of him?" She couldn't believe that Jack would ever do anything to hurt her, could she?  
  
"Of course not," Sam said, shaking her head, smiling for a brief moment before turning serious. "It's scary what he'd do for me. What they'd do for me. If that man had had a gun, Jack still would have dove on him – and Jaffer still would have attacked them."  
  
"You'd do it for him."  
  
Sam nodded. It wasn't the same, though. Or was it?  
  
"He's crazy."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
Sam grinned, "They both are."  
  
"Love does crazy things sometimes, Sam."  
  
They looked up when there was a knock at the door, and Fraiser stood up and went to let in the window guy. She showed him the broken window, and smiled when she saw a police cruiser come to a halt behind the window truck. Probably running the plate to make sure it really was registered to a glass company, Janet decided.  
  
The cop in the cruiser waved at her, acknowledging that he'd been caught checking up on them, but he didn't leave until he was certain everything was okay. And even then, he cruised around the block more than once, just to make sure. 


	18. 18

It was almost 3:00 by the time Jack and Jaffer made it back to the house. Monica had made sure Jaffer's coat was dry before she'd let the lab leave her clinic – something about him catching a cold, although Jack knew she just wanted a reason to cuddle with him and make a big deal of him for a little while longer. He'd called Sam to make sure she was okay, and asked her what she wanted for lunch, telling her he'd stop and get it. She requested chicken, so they'd hit up the closest KFC on their way home, and had ordered a huge meal, just in case Janet stayed for lunch.  
  
There was a van in the driveway when Jack pulled up, and a truck parked on the street. Apparently the van belonged to the guy who was fixing the door – putting a new one on, actually – and the truck must belong to the window guy, to judge by all the glass that he had stacked neatly in holders on the sides of it. Jack walked past the door guy, who had to suffer a moment of thorough sniffing by Jaffer, who repeated the process with the window guy. These two didn't smell like they belonged, either, but they didn't have that fear smell, either, and they weren't doing anything threatening. For that matter, the window guy whistled, impressed, when he saw Jaffer, and knelt down, more than happy to give the beautiful dog a little attention. A good way to make friends with Jaffer was to give him attention.  
  
Jack walked over to the couch and looked at the two women. Sam looked okay. Not as pale as she'd been when he'd left, and Janet didn't look concerned at all, which told him Sam was probably fine.  
  
"Everything okay?"  
  
Carter nodded, looking up at him and glad to see that he didn't look angry anymore. The trip out had done what she'd hoped it would.  
  
"We're fine."  
  
"Is she okay, Doc?"  
  
"Yes." Janet motioned for him to sit down. "Now, let me have a look at those hands."  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"And take off your shirt, Colonel I want to look at that shoulder."  
  
How did she do that?  
  
"I want to look at your big muscles," Sam said, smiling. He snorted, and pulled his shirt off, wincing at the motion, but able to hide it in his shirt.  
  
"How's Jaffer?"  
  
"Some stitches, but nothing that won't heal perfectly."  
  
The lab heard his name and came over. He'd been guarding the chicken from escaping once the window guy had returned to his framing. Sam stroked him gently, looking for the stitches so she'd know where to be careful when she touched him.  
  
"Your hands are going to be bruised and sore for a few days, but nothing that won't heal, as well." Fraiser told him. "You might ice that shoulder, too. At least once or twice tonight."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
He'd do no such thing.  
  
"I'll make sure he does, Janet." Sam promised.  
  
Jack scowled. Sam smiled. Jack sighed, and smiled, too.  
  
"Did you bring home lunch?"  
  
He nodded. "Are you ready to eat?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Janet? You hungry?"  
  
Fraiser shook her head, and stood up. "I have to get back to the base. Your call pulled me out of a meeting with my surgical staff, and I'd better get back to it before they go home for the day."  
  
"I'm sor-"  
  
"Don't be. I'm glad you called me. I would have been furious if you hadn't."  
  
"Take care of her, Colonel," She said, smiling. "If you need anything, call me."  
  
"Thanks, Doc."  
  
Jack walked her out, passing the man who was almost finished with the door, and out to her car. Jaffer eyed the spot next to Sam, obviously debating whether there was room for him and decided there was. He hopped up onto the couch, and Sam leaned against him, once more enjoying the sturdy warmth of the lab.  
  
"She's really going to be okay?" Jack asked Fraiser when he had her alone by her car.  
  
Janet nodded.  
  
"They didn't hurt her, Colonel. Feed her some dinner, and put her to bed."  
  
He nodded, and opened her door for her, then watched her start the car and drive off.  
  
............  
  
Jaffer wasn't allowed to eat chicken. Not chicken with bones in it, anyways. It was one of Jack's biggest phobias that Jaffer would get a chicken bone stuck in his throat and choke, and as such, chicken – on the bone – wasn't something that was served with any regularity in his house. Only when Sam wanted it, which wasn't all that often. He dished Sam a plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, and then made a plate of mashed potatoes and diced roast beef for Jaffer so the big lab wouldn't feel left out. He, personally, didn't eat. He wasn't hungry, he said, and Sam accepted that.  
  
There was plenty left, so Jack sent the rest of it home with the window and door guy, who were finished fairly quickly. The door guy gave Jack a couple sets of keys to his new door, and the window guy made sure all the glass from the broken window had been cleaned up, then with chicken and all the extras in hand, the two men left.  
  
Jack looked at his demolished coffee table, and while Sam finished her piece of pie – which she shared with Jaffer, who gave her a look that said if he didn't have any pie he was absolutely going to die this very minute – O'Neill picked up the pieces of the coffee table and took them out to the deck. He'd throw it away properly in the morning, and maybe go buy a new one as soon as Sam was able to get around on her crutches.  
  
"Come have some pie, Jack," Sam said, watching him as she fed the last bite of her pie to Jaffer. He was showing signs of being restless, and she knew that meant something was bothering him. Which probably meant he was allowing himself to think about what might have been if Jaffer hadn't been around. She didn't want to spend the rest of the day thinking of such things. She wanted to spend the day with him, smiling and teasing as they had that morning. Nothing had changed, after all.  
  
He walked over, and sat down next to her, picking up the plate that held the piece of pie she'd cut for him. Jaffer eyed it speculatively. Such an unsuspecting piece of pie... so innocent... so yummy...  
  
Sam took the plate from Jack, and took his fork, taking a small piece and putting it on the fork and brandishing it at Jack with a soft smile.  
  
"Take a bite. It's good."  
  
"I'm not really hungry, Sam."  
  
"If I rub it on my body will you eat it?"  
  
Jack grinned, despite himself.  
  
"I could probably be convinced."  
  
"If Jaffer didn't beat you to it..."  
  
He laughed, as she'd hoped he would. They didn't play with food in bed too often. Jaffer didn't care if they wanted alone time or not when it came to food, and the first time they'd tried something like that it had ended badly, and it wasn't something either of them cared to repeat. But it was funny every time either of them referred to it.  
  
"Take a bite, Jack."  
  
"Is that an order, Major?"  
  
His eyes were alive with his love for her, now, and Sam smiled.  
  
"Of course."  
  
He took the bite, and then handed the saucer the rest of the pie was on down to Jaffer, who ate it greedily.  
  
"You're going to make him fat," Sam told him.  
  
"He needs his energy. He's a growing baby..."  
  
"If he grows anymore he's going to need his own couch."  
  
He smiled again, restlessness and bad mood forgotten in their banter.  
  
"Janet said I should give you a pain pill and put you to bed. Are you tired?"  
  
"A little. Will you stay with me while I sleep and cuddle with me?"  
  
"Mm-hmmm... but I have something else in mind first."  
  
He picked her up, and carried her down the hall, leaving Jaffer alone with the remainder of the pie sitting on the end table of the couch. The black lab looked down the hall. Then at the pie. Hmmmm... pie... it would probably try to take over the world if he didn't do something to stop it before it made its plans... 


	19. 19

"This isn't exactly what I thought you had planned," Sam murmured to Jack about ten minutes later.  
  
She was propped up in the bed with a few pillows behind her back, naked. But instead of taking advantage of that fact, Jack had produced a wet washcloth and had proceeded to give her a sponge bath. Yes, the towel felt good, and yes, it was nice to be clean, but she had hoped for something a bit more... physical.  
  
He smiled, wiping the towel gently across her bruised side.  
  
"You didn't think I'd really take advantage of you in your condition, did you Sam? I _am_ an officer and a gentleman, after all."  
  
Not to mention he loved the hell out of her and wouldn't have done anything to hurt her. Even if it meant ignoring just how tempting she was just then, bruises and all.  
  
"Well... I wouldn't have _minded_..."  
  
He smiled, and Sam was glad to see that his good humor seemed completely restored. She loved him, no matter what his mood, but she much preferred him smiling. And loved it when he was teasing.  
  
"There's plenty of time for other things when you're feeling a little less tender," Jack told her. Even though he was being careful, he didn't miss the few times she'd winced when he'd touched a particularly sensitive spot, and he'd carefully avoided touching those spots again. "Just relax, okay, and try to ignore my natural animal magnetism."  
  
Sam snorted, but decided to ignore that, and closed her eyes as she leaned completely into the pillows behind her, giving herself up to his ministrations. He, of course, watched her carefully. She'd just taken her medication, so he knew she was going to be falling asleep soon, but he didn't want her to fall asleep until he was done and had her covered back up. And in his arms.  
  
It didn't happen. Sam was far too relaxed to stay awake, and Jack's hands were gentle enough that he didn't hurt her enough to keep her awake. She dozed off before he'd finished, and was deeply asleep by the time he rewrapped her ribs – which he did so carefully that Sam wasn't jostled at all.  
  
He was just covering her with a blanket when Jaffer came into the room. His black face was smeared with whipped cream – a sure sign that Jack wasn't going to find any pie waiting for him when he went out into the living room. Ah well. The lab jumped up onto the bed and flopped down next to Jack, his head resting on Jack's chest, which was a sure sign that he wanted some cuddling. If he wanted to sleep, he would have rested his head on Jack's thigh.  
  
Jack reached down with the wet towel and wiped the whipped cream off his dog's face. Jaffer put up with it with good humor, his eyes grinning at Jack and his tail thumping against the bed.  
  
"You did good today, little man," O'Neill murmured softly, although as deeply as Sam was sleeping, there was little chance of waking her up. Jaffer licked Jack's hand as he started stroking the glossy hide, being careful to avoid the stitched areas. "If you hadn't been here, I'm not sure what would have happened..."  
  
He trailed off, unwilling to think about that. Of course, there was a good chance he never would have left Sam alone, without Jaffer being there. But you never knew. Of course, now he knew just how much he could trust the lab to watch over those he loved – mainly Sam – and it was a lesson Jack would remember.  
  
Jaffer's nose nudged O'Neill, and he realized he'd stopped stroking the lab as he'd been thinking. He smiled and resumed what he was doing; petting Jaffer with one hand while the other went under the blanket to find Sam's hand. His stomach rumbled, but Jack was comfortable, now, and he wasn't going to get up to eat. Especially since the pie he'd planned on having was undoubtedly demolished. He relaxed, watching Sam sleep as his gentle touch put Jaffer to sleep as well.  
  
......................  
  
He was still awake when Sam woke up much later. The room was dark, since he hadn't wanted to turn on the light or the TV and disturb her before she was ready to wake up. He knew she was awake before she even moved. He'd been listening to her breathing in the darkness, which was a different noise to listen to than Jaffer's soft snoring, which continued even after Sam's breathing changed.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
Her voice was sleepy, and he smiled in the dark, even though she couldn't see it.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Is everything okay?"  
  
"Everything's fine, Sam." He squeezed the hand he was holding, reassuringly.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"It's after midnight."  
  
"I need to get up." Meaning her bladder was going to burst if he didn't help her up.  
  
He was getting pretty good at helping her into the bathroom, so this was hardly a challenge. When she was done, she asked him to take her out into the living room, so she could sit on the couch for a while. She had slept all evening and a lot of the afternoon, and she didn't want to sleep anymore.  
  
"Do you want me to help you get dressed?"  
  
"You're not expecting company, are you?"  
  
He grinned, and shook his head, and carried her out into the living room and settled her on the sofa, covering her warmly, and letting Jaffer out since the lab had woken up with the same need Sam had.  
  
"Are you hungry?" He asked her as he filled Jaffer's food dish.  
  
"Starved."  
  
"Good." He was, too.  
  
"Something easy okay with you?"  
  
"Not cereal."  
  
"Okay."  
  
He didn't even have any cereal. But he did have the makings for breakfast burritos, and that was what he made. He scrambled a huge pan of eggs, chopped up some ham to go in them, then added cheese and rolled the whole mess into a number of heated burrito shells. Placing them all on one plate, and bringing out a couple more plates for them to eat off of, he set them down on the end table – already missing his broken coffee table.  
  
"You must be getting tired of taking care of me," Sam mused while he went over and let Jaffer in. The black lab came over to the end table immediately, smelling the delicious odor of eggs and ham.  
  
"Never."  
  
Sam sat up a little, and Jack settled on the couch with one leg on either side of her, and then helped her lean back against his belly and chest.  
  
"I love you," he told her as he reached for the plate of burritos, and handed down a couple to Jaffer. The rest he placed on Sam's lap, his arms coming around her. It was a very intimate position for him, since she wasn't dressed, and if his hand strayed occasionally and brushed her bare skin, well... oops.  
  
Sam smiled; ignoring his touch as well as she could although it wasn't easy! She helped herself to a couple of burritos of her own, ate what she could and handed the leftovers to Jaffer, who was watching them intently.  
  
Then she leaned back against Jack, content, as he finished eating. She was warm, well fed, and comfortable, and as wrapped up in him as she could be. With his strong body enveloping her, and Jaffer's still-growing but already powerful form close at hand as well, she closed her eyes and drifted off once more, knowing that whatever was to come, they'd both always be there for her, and would do anything necessary to protect her. How could she not sleep soundly with such a force to be reckoned with so determined to keep her safe? 


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
.............  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, what?"  
  
Jack scowled.  
  
"What did you find out about the cliff?"  
  
"Ravine, Jack," Daniel corrected absently.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
It was two weeks later, and Jack had been told Daniel was finally returning from his trip through the Stargate with SG-11, and O'Neill had decided he wanted to come and welcome him home. (_Not_ check on him and make sure he was okay, he was just coming in to welcome him home).  
  
"It was man-made, just like I suspected." There was a smugness in Daniel's tone that was always there when he was right.  
  
"Which meant?"  
  
"That I was right." Duh.  
  
Well, since he really didn't care anyways, Jack was willing to accept that answer. He'd seen Daniel, had made sure he was okay – er, _welcomed him home_, that was – and he was ready to get back to the house. Shawn was coming over that afternoon, and they were all going to go to the park.  
  
"How's Sam doing?" Daniel asked as Jack picked up his pack, and the two of them headed out of the embarkation room and down to the locker room where Daniel could get a much-needed shower.  
  
"She's on crutches." Jack told him. "She has been for about a week and a half now. Fraiser says another month and we'll be back in business."  
  
"Good."  
  
Of course, Daniel would use the remaining down time to work on the notes he'd been taking the past two weeks, and it would be time well spent. He didn't bother to tell Jack that.  
  
"Is Teal'c back yet?"  
  
"He's checked in a few times, but he's still gone." Jack wasn't worried. Teal'c could take care of himself. "We're going to go-"  
  
He was interrupted by Sam's arrival in the corridor ahead of them. She was wearing a work uniform, because they were on duty – even though it was light duty for her – and her cast was gleaming white on her leg. Jaffer was walking right beside her, but not close enough that he'd get tangled up in her crutches and maybe trip her up.  
  
She was leaning heavily on her crutches, but she smiled when she saw the two of them, and waved a greeting to Daniel. And dropped one of her crutches to the floor.  
  
Daniel started forward to pick it up for her, but Jack reached out and grabbed his arm to hold him back.  
  
"Jack... what are you doing?"  
  
"Watch, Daniel," Jack said, smiling.  
  
As the two men watched, Jaffer bent his head down and picked up the crutch in his mouth and lifted it up to Sam, who thanked him with a radiant smile and an affectionate pat on the head. Jaffer appeared to appreciate the pat on the head more than the smile, but Jack was happy to see the smile.  
  
Sam had tripped a few times reaching for her own dropped crutches, so teaching Jaffer to pick them up if she dropped them seemed a natural thing to have the dog guys work on. The black lab had caught on quickly, of course. So until Sam was back on her own two feet, Jaffer was pretty much her shadow, picking up her dropped crutches whenever he was needed, and being continually rewarded with treats and pats.  
  
"That's pretty impressive," Daniel said, smiling as the two of them walked over to Sam and Jaffer.  
  
"Yup. Of course, he's an impressive dog, anyways." Jack said, proudly. "Probably gets that from me."  
  
"Um... yeah. That and your eyes..."  
  
Jack grinned, and watched as Sam greeted Daniel warmly.  
  
"We're taking Shawn to the park later. Want to come?"  
  
"What time?"  
  
"A few hours. Probably after lunch."  
  
"Sounds great." That would give him a chance to shower, and even take a nap.  
  
"Want us to come by and get you? Or do you want to meet at my house?"  
  
"Come get me."  
  
"We'll see you in a few hours."  
  
Daniel nodded, and watched as the three of them headed back down the corridor, Jack on one side of Sam, Jaffer on the other. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought they had positioned themselves like that on purpose. He shrugged, and pulled a small rock out of his side pocket (one he'd slipped in there as soon as he'd spotted Jaffer) and looked at it with a grin. He'd play in the park today, but first thing tomorrow, he was going to get to work. He'd brought back a lot of rocks to look at.  
  
.....................  
  
Author's note: Okay! So that's the end of the story. What'd you like? What'd you hate? What can be improved? 


End file.
